BFP chief sacked, faces graft raps

MANILA, Philippines —  The Office of the Ombudsman has sacked Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) chief Jesus Fernandez and indicted him for graft and bribery charges in connection with the procurement of 132 ambulances worth P485 million.

The ombudsman said it has filed cases against Fernandez before the Sandiganbayan after it found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to charge him with two counts of indirect bribery and two counts of violation of Section 3(b) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The charges stem from a complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government following a fact-finding investigation by Task Force BFP Accountability into the procurement of 132 units of Type 1 Basic Life Support ambulances.

The contract was awarded to Toyota Mabolo, which entered into a joint venture with Autozone Prime Distributors Inc. for the project.

According to the ombudsman, Fernandez, who was then the bids and awards committee chairperson, allegedly received some P14.7 million from a representative of the joint venture.

Rosaverna Sangga, the designated representative of the joint venture, was also charged with two counts of corruption of public officials under Article 212 of the Revised Penal Code.

In a separate administrative case arising from the same transaction, the ombudsman found Fernandez guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and grave misconduct.

It said this carries the penalty of dismissal from the service, including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service.

The anti-graft body pointed out in its administrative decision that Fernandez’s receipt of the money was “incompatible with his responsibilities as BFP chief and BAC chairperson and undermined the integrity expected of his office.”

It further said that “receiving any gift, compensation, promise, or consideration from any individual in relation to his position gives the appearance of impropriety, which does not only bring doubt to his credibility but significantly tarnishes the credibility of the agency that he leads, in this case, especially in the process of procurement.”