Firefighters call on BFP to release benefits

MANILA, Philippines - A firefighter’s group is awaiting a reply from Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) officials on issues they have raised concerning the plight of retired firefighters.

Van Resurreccion, Foundation for Filipino Fire Fighters (F5) president said, BFP officials must give an accurate number of retired firemen who have not received their terminal leave benefits and why their claims have not been granted.

The BFP does not keep updated figures of retirees “for unexplained reasons,” he added.

The F5 has accused unnamed BFP officials of coddling a loan shark syndicate that is “raking it in” at the expense of the retirees.

BFP officials have not made any effort to sanction concerned officials at the Benefits Assistance Section (BAS) for violating agency policies including the imposition of illegal documentary requirements for processing their claims, the F5 alleged.

Concerned BFP officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Complaints from retired firemen continued to pour into the offices of the F5 in Caloocan City.

One complainant accused certain BFP employees of manipulating the release of retirement benefits.”If the retiree shows as much as a copy of a retirement voucher, these people will push you to take out a loan by advancing the sum of your benefits at usurious interests, usually 30 percent,” the source said.

The same source named an “Allan Dydy” and a certain “Joji” of “JVM,” allegedly “one of three lending institutions” operating in the agency.

The “lenders” are allegedly being handled by a certain “Venus,” also referred to as “Lady Planet.”

“She controls the lending in the BFP. This is deep, sir,” the source said.

Because this has allegedly been going on for a number of years, the system has become, in a way, “institutionalized.”

One retiree, who has been working on his claims for the last seven months, said his benefits are being “hostaged” because of a mobile radio he allegedly failed to return before retirement. He said he did not receive the radio except “on paper” when he signed a memorandum receipt before actually receiving it.

The retired fireman said the BFP took seven months to give him the exact amount after he threatened to sue the officials.

“They only came up with the P29,000 cost of the now obsolete radio (TAIT-ORCA) when I threatened to sue,” the retiree said.

A fireman died in 2008 while on duty but his heirs have not received his benefits until now, the source said. – Jerry Botial