12 BFP officials face admin raps over 'slot-for-sale,' inspection mess — DILG

Administrative charges have been filed against 12 officials of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) over alleged recruitment corruption and fire safety inspection irregularities, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Tuesday.

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said four former senior officials of BFP Region VIII are facing allegations of involvement in a supposed “slot-for-sale” scheme during the 2025 Fire Officer 1 recruitment.

“Lahat sila ay member ng [Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board] at ginawa nilang negosyo ang serbisyo publiko," Remulla said at a press conference.

(They are all members of the Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board and have turned public service into a business.)

"Para sa isang slot, makapasok lang sa BFP, P400,000 hanggang P800,000 ang bawat aplikante,” he added.

(For a single slot to enter the BFP, each applicant was allegedly asked to pay between P400,000 and P800,000.)

All four officials have reportedly been placed under a 90-day preventive suspension.

In BFP Region X, six other officials have been charged over alleged recruitment irregularities, including the approval of applicants who lacked the required medical, physical, and dental clearances, as well as the failure to properly release examination results.

The DILG said the issuance of preventive suspensions for these personnel will be determined after an evaluation of their submitted responses.

Meanwhile, in BFP Region IV-A, two officials are facing charges for alleged violations of established fire safety inspection protocols.

In addition, a fire officer in BFP Region I has been formally charged and placed under preventive suspension for allegedly demanding P90,000 in exchange for facilitating a recruitment slot, the DILG said.

The DILG Task Force has so far received around 40 complaints. Of these, 21 have been referred to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for investigation and case buildup.—MCG, GMA Integrated News