“I will investigate. We are looking into it.”

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla gave this assurance to Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel deployed for the Asean meetings who had raised concerns over alleged corruption by their senior officials.

In a letter to Remulla and in calls to the Malacañang 8888 hotline, copies of which were obtained by DAILY TRIBUNE, the personnel said they were deployed for about a month to provide fire safety and emergency response in cities, particularly Manila and Taguig, hosting Asean meetings.

They said the deployment required rotating shifts while fire trucks and ambulances remained on standby in staging areas.

However, they claimed there was no fuel support and no proper accommodations, forcing many of them to sleep on floors under inadequate conditions.

The personnel said they were initially told the events were funded and that each member would receive a P500 food allowance.

At the end of the deployment, they said they received only P200, while others have yet to receive any allowance.

When they sought an explanation, they were told by logistics personnel that deductions were made for taxes and the processing requirements for official receipts.

The group noted that during similar deployments in 2017, including Asean-related operations, the personnel received the full amount.

Remulla said the complaints are under investigation.

“Currently being investigated by our anti-corruption unit. We should have results in 10 days. We are interviewing those deployed to validate the allegations,” he said.