Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Friday warned against the corrupt practices of some fire personnel who sell fire extinguishers to business owners securing fire safety clearances for their businesses.

“It is prohibited for fire marshals to sell fire extinguishers, and if you encounter this, report it to me immediately, and I will remove them on the spot,” he said in Filipino.

Remulla shared that when he was governor of Cavite, he reprimanded fire personnel involved in such illegal activities, including endorsing contractors for fire sprinklers.

“I was furious about that... it’s nonsense. Why make it harder for businesses? They create jobs, and yet you want to profit from them,” he said.

BFP Memorandum Circular 2016-016 strictly prohibits Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel from selling fire extinguishers and endorsing manufacturers, dealers, or suppliers of firefighting equipment.

Remulla also warned Bureau of Fire Protection officials against attempts to reshuffle personnel during the election ban and reiterated his standing order to BFP officer-in-charge (OIC), Deputy Chief for Administration Chief Supt. Jesus Fernandez, that he has no “power to appoint” and “designate or reassign” BFP personnel.

The DILG Secretary has received information that certain fire officials have been courting the BFP OIC to give them prestigious appointments, prompting them to work for such appointments in exchange for a fee.

It can be recalled that Remulla appointed Fernandez in December following the compulsory retirement of Fire Director Louie Puracan.

Remulla was in Cebu on Wednesday for an interfacing activity with the province’s local chief executives (LCEs) at the provincial capitol.

During the activity, he asked LCEs to encourage business owners to file complaints against erring BFP personnel who engage in such illegal activities and delay the issuance of fire clearances.

“Mayors, please encourage business owners to file an ARTA complaint. If there’s a delay of more than one week, file an ARTA complaint, and I will personally ensure that they are disciplined,” he said.

Under Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business Law, the BFP is required to issue the Fire Safety Evaluation Clearance and Fire Safety Inspection Certificate to businesses within seven (7) working days.

Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on all government agencies to ensure the streamlining of government services.

Digitalization eyed

Meanwhile, Remulla announced his plan to digitalize and simplify forms to reduce the time mayors and governors spend signing documents. He highlighted that local chief executives often spend 15 hours a week on paperwork. Remulla recalled his time as Cavite governor, where he had to sign multiple copies of documents for 4,000 employees, and emphasized that this process could be digitized.

He added that President Marcos has directed all government offices to digitalize services to improve efficiency and combat corruption.

Remulla aims to simplify tasks for local chief executives to make their work more efficient and effective. The DILG is working with the Commission on Audit and Civil Service Commission to reduce signing time from 15 hours to just one hour per week by 30 June.