Fire Safety For Sale?

In every fire in the Philippines, it is not just wood and concrete that are consumed by flames. Families, dreams, and lives are lost. While ordinary Filipinos watch their homes turn into ashes, the very system meant to protect them — the Bureau of Fire Protection — has quietly become part of the problem.

The exposé by DILG Secretary Jun Vic Remulla revealed that the BFP has been infiltrated by organized kickbacks and bid-rigging. But the deeper cause lies in the law itself — Republic Act 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines. Under this law, no mayor’s or business permit can be issued without a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate from the BFP. On paper, this ensures safety. In practice, it has become a choke point that turned into a business.

Every business-permit renewal season — especially in January — thousands of boarding houses, shops, factories, and buildings must pass through the BFP. But there are only a few inspectors. This mismatch turns clearance into something that can be bought and sold. If you have money, you pass. If you don’t, you wait, get delayed, or get penalized. The system itself breeds extortion and fixers.

In residential areas, the weakness is even worse. Most homes are inspected only once — when the occupancy permit is issued. After that, there are no regular follow-up inspections, even as wiring changes, appliances multiply, and fire risks increase. That is why many fires in the Philippines start in homes, not just in malls or offices.

The impact is visible in the numbers. In 2024, the Philippines recorded 18,256 fires — about 50 every day. This means that every single day, families lose their homes and livelihoods. Yet instead of responding to these alarming figures, the fire-safety system remains permit-based and paper-based, not risk-based and safety-based. The result is that many buildings and homes are “legal” on paper but dangerous in reality, and fires continue to rise despite thousands of certificates being issued.

That is why the real solution is not just arresting a few corrupt officials. The core solution is to amend RA 9514. The law must remove the BFP’s monopoly over mayor’s permits and replace it with a risk-based and digital fire-safety system that cannot be bought or held hostage by a few signatures.

The Fire Code must require regular and random inspections of homes and buildings, not just a one-time check for an occupancy permit. It must mandate independent audits, online reporting, and automatic compliance systems so public safety is no longer treated as a business.

In the end, fire does not ask whether you have a permit. Flames enter the homes of the poor and the rich alike. And when the law itself creates corruption, amending it is not just legal reform — it is a reform to save lives.