Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced Friday that 49 officials from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) have been suspended and charged before the Ombudsman following an investigation into alleged procurement fraud and extortion.

The charges stem from an inquiry into the purchase of fire trucks and irregularities in inspection operations. Remulla said the probe began shortly after he took office, sparked by reports of massive overpricing.

“Someone told my friends to inform me that there was supposedly P1.5 billion involved in every truck,” Remulla said, noting that the tip prompted a deep dive into bank records and pricing discrepancies between commercial and government rates.

The investigation resulted in the filing of cases against the BFP’s entire directorate. Remulla confirmed the officials are currently under suspension as the agency undergoes leadership changes and systemic reforms.

In a sweeping move to dismantle what he described as “deeply embedded” corruption, the secretary also ordered the reassignment of approximately 650 fire inspectors in Metro Manila.

“I removed all of them,” Remulla said. “I assigned them to Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu. If they want to continue doing illegal activities, they can do it there.”

When questioned if the move merely relocated the problem, Remulla argued that the new posts offer little opportunity for exploitation. “There is nothing for them to exploit there in Basilan,” he said. “The places I sent them to have little activity. They can cool off there.”

The reform efforts include a new mandate for inspectors in Metro Manila to wear body cameras during operations. Remulla noted that four additional personnel have already been apprehended since the new transparency measures were implemented.

The secretary also highlighted a “pay-to-play” recruitment scheme where applicants allegedly paid between P200,000 and P800,000 to secure a position in the bureau.

“Where else can you hear of joining the BFP with an entry fee of 800,000 pesos?” he said.

To counter hiring fraud, Remulla directed regional directors to conduct recruitment through transparent, live-streamed raffles on Facebook for qualified candidates.

“Slowly, we are dismantling their system,” Remulla said.