DILG eyes 1.5-K fire trucks for modernization program

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) plans to procure 1,500 new fire trucks in 2027 through a government-to-government agreement with South Korea, replacing aging equipment and saving an estimated P9 billion, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced.

Speaking during the blessing and ceremonial turnover of Unified 911 emergency response vehicles in Quezon province, Remulla stressed the urgency of modernizing the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) fleet, noting that several municipal units currently operate trucks acquired as far back as 1986.

Remulla said he and BFP officer-in-charge Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu traveled to South Korea to establish a direct procurement agreement. The bilateral arrangement reduces the purchase cost of each unit from P16 million under previous procurement models to P10 million.

“If it was previously P16 million per fire truck, now it is down to P10 million per fire truck,” Remulla said. “Corruption is eliminated there. Our savings for 1,500 fire trucks multiplied by P6 million comes out to P9 billion in savings for the BFP.”

The procurement forms a core component of the agency’s strategy to match expanding local commercial centers and industrial hubs with upgraded public safety infrastructure.