OVER 200 Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel are under investigation over their alleged involvement in a “slot for sale” scheme within the agency.
In a press conference on Friday, August 28, 2026, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said among those being investigated for allegedly selling positions in the bureau’s recruitment process is the BFP deputy regional director for administration in Calabarzon.
Remulla alleged that the official was a conspirator of a senior BFP personnel assigned to the Central Luzon regional office, who was arrested in an entrapment operation in Pampanga on August 24.
The arrested suspect allegedly asked the complainant for P500,000 in exchange for securing a position in the BFP.
The suspect allegedly also secured positions for at least four other BFP applicants in the past year, charging P100,000 each.
“That is where you see the web of corruption. Somehow, somewhere, all of that came out of the arrested suspect’s phone, how they communicated with one another. We suspect that something similar happened in all regions in the past, but we are confident that under the new system we have, there will no longer be payments for these ‘slots for sale,’” Remulla said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
Remulla said the investigation covers all BFP regional offices across the country.
For his part, BFP Officer-in-Charge Fire Chief Superintendent Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu assured the public that the BFP recruitment process is absolutely free, noting that it is conducted online without human intervention.
“To the BFP applicants, I repeat: there is no payment required to enter our agency. Literally, you just have to work hard, and if you are qualified, you will be accepted. But if you get involved in this kind of anomaly, you will also face the consequences,” he said in Tagalog.
Remulla said the BFP is monitoring all regional directors as a measure to prevent their possible involvement in illegal activities.
The DILG secretary earlier said the BFP receives more than P15 billion in kickbacks annually from various corrupt practices, including the illegal sale of fire extinguishers by fire inspectors and anomalies involving sprinkler systems, among others.
Earlier, 902 fire inspectors were removed from their posts due to their alleged involvement in corruption. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)