Probe eyed on ‘sold’ fire safety certificate

The Quezon City Council is set to investigate allegations of corruption within the Quezon City Fire Department (QCFD).

This comes after Council Majority Leader Doray Delarmente of District 1 initiated the probe to prevent potential fire hazards due to the alleged practice of issuing Fire Safety Inspection Certificates (FSICs) for bribes.

According to reports, the city’s Fire Marshal — identified as Chief Insp. Edgar Tanawan — is allegedly demanding significant fees from fire inspectors in exchange for his signature on FSICs.

The allegations also said that the practice has led to a backlog of over 30,000 inspections for more than 70,000 businesses.

Fire inspectors have reportedly refused to conduct inspections due to the pressure to pay bribes, which can range from P5,000 to P100,000 per FSIC, depending on the size and nature of the establishment which the allegations added is the “standard operating procedure.”

“That’s only the minimum,” one of the QCFD old-timers disclosed on condition of anonymity, adding that the amount will have to be paid by the applicant, whom the fire inspectors will have to convince if they want their FSIC signed at once.