The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) can still be reformed under his leadership amid findings of rampant corruption in fire safety inspections, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said confidently.

“I have faith in the Filipino people. As long as the proper leadership is in place, all of that can be stopped. With the right person at the helm, things will fall into order,” Remulla said.

He said that even after stopping BFP schemes to extort business establishments, unscrupulous BFP men and their cohorts have come up with a new modus operandi in the application for fire safety certification of businesses, a few weeks after the launch of the mandatory use of body-worn cameras (BWCs).

DILG backtracks for checks

During a briefing in Quezon City, Remulla said the department conducted a backtracking analysis of customer satisfaction among business establishments that underwent the revamped fire safety inspection.

“99 percent still had complaints,” the DILG chief said.

Remulla characterized the modus operandi as the reverse of the previous peddling of specific brands of fire safety equipment in exchange for a clearance.