Remulla: Order to replace BFP chief out soon

MANILA, Philippines — An order to replace Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Director Jesus Fernandez will be issued soon, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Tuesday.

The head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which oversees the BFP, previously confirmed that he recommended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remove Fernandez over alleged corruption in the bureau.

“The Office of the President already has my recommendation. I’m just waiting for it. Perhaps, this week, there will be a recognition issued that we’ve appointed an officer-in-charge,” Remulla said in Filipino.

READ: 11 BFP officials in hot water over alleged ‘pay-to-enter’ scheme

The DILG received 40 complaints of anomalies in the BFP, 21 of which were already referred to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, according to Remulla.

“That’ll be next week. We’ll put out all the evidence. All the evidence about the hijinks of the BFP top management,” he explained in Filipino.

He did not immediately detail how many and who the BFP officials implicated were.

Remulla clarified that the complaints were distinct from administrative cases against 11 BFP officials in Ilocos Region, Eastern Visayas, and Northern Mindanao for allegedly asking applicants to pay money to enter the agency; and two BFP officials in Calabarzon for alleged irregularities in fire inspections. /mcm