Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Thursday the government will roll out 1,500 fire trucks nationwide over the next 18 months to address gaps in firefighting equipment and strengthen emergency response.

Remulla said the fire trucks will be acquired through a government-to-government agreement with South Korea, allowing direct procurement without middlemen.

“Within a year and a half, every municipality will have complete firefighting equipment, and we will no longer have a problem. The entire country will be covered,” Remulla said.

He said the Office of the President, DILG, Department of Foreign Affairs and Bureau of Fire Protection are coordinating directly with the South Korean government on the acquisition.

“This is the cleanest transaction possible, with the best possible benefit for all Filipinos,” he added.

Remulla made the announcement during the turnover of 20 Class 1 Unified 911 emergency response motorcycles to Police Regional Office 6 at Camp General Martin Teofilo B. Delgado in Iloilo City.

“People should expect more. They should not expect less from their police and the BFP,” he said.

Ten of the 20 Honda PCX160 motorcycles were turned over to the Aklan Police Provincial Office, while the remaining 10 went to the Iloilo City Police Office.

Remulla said the motorcycles will strengthen the logistical capabilities of emergency responders following the nationwide rollout of Unified 911, which provides a single emergency hotline.

He said the system uses geolocation to connect callers with local responders who can communicate in the language used in their area.