Authorities are probing an illegal recruitment scheme within the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) after arresting an active personnel member who allegedly solicited P500,000 to guarantee an applicant an entry slot into the agency.

Police undercover agents caught the suspect during an entrapment operation 24 August in a parking lot in San Fernando, Pampanga, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Regional Office 3 chief Col. Grant Gollod announced during a press briefing at Camp Crame.

During interrogations, the suspect implicated several high-ranking fire bureau officials as co-conspirators who assisted in falsifying recruitment documents, Gollod said.

Authorities declined to publicly name the senior officers, citing ongoing case-building operations to file formal charges against them.

Investigators said the suspect targeted job seekers by monitoring official fire bureau social media posts and contacting candidates using dummy online profiles.

The investigation began when a target filed a complaint with local authorities in Zambales, prompting detectives to schedule the sting.

Prior to her arrest, the suspect allegedly showed her official identification card to build trust, boasting that she had successfully sold recruitment positions across multiple regions.

While the suspect initially demanded P500,000, she later negotiated the price down to P300,000. Detectives noted the suspect had previously completed four similar illegal transactions, collecting P100,000 from each victim.