AUTHORITIES have arrested a fireman involved in a fee-for-recruitment scheme in an entrapment operation in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said Tuesday, November 28, 2023.
Chief Superintendent Renato Marcial, BFP regional director, identified the arrested fireman as Fire Officer 3 Jesson Casanes, 35, who is presently assigned at the fire station of Isabela City, Basilan province.
Marcial said Casanes was arrested in an entrapment operation around 5:15 p.m. Sunday, November 26, at Purok Crossing in Sicade village, Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur.
Marcial said Casanes, a resident of Poblacion village, Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugay, was arrested after he received P400,000 extortion money from a BFP applicant in exchange for a sure entry to the BFP.
He said confiscated from the possession of Casanes were 399 bills of P1,000 boodle money topped with one genuine P1,000 marked money used in the entrapment operation.
“I commend the PNP (Philippine National Police) for the arrest of the suspect. This will also send a strong message to the public that we do not tolerate our personnel to engage in this kind of malpractice,” Marcial said.
He encouraged those who were victimized by Casanes to file their complaints to the office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Zamboanga del Sur provincial field office.
Marcial had been consistently advocating that hiring in the BFP does not entail any monetary consideration.
He added the arrest of Casanes is part of their internal cleansing, which is the thrust of the BFP leadership and Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. as well.