A congressional bicameral conference committee (bicam) on Monday reconciled disagreeing provisions on the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) modernization bill.
House Ways and Means Chairman and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, a member of the bicam panel and a principal author of the bill, announced that they have already concluded deliberations on the proposal and will submit the bill for ratification by the Senate and the House also on Monday.
“Hopefully, during our plenary session [on Monday], both Houses can approve the bicam report for sending to President Duterte,” Salceda said.
The bill broadens the mandate of the BFP to include fire prevention and suppression in economic zones, disaster risk response, and emergency management.
The bill also creates the BFP Modernization Trust Fund, which shall include appropriations for BFP modernization 80 percent of the share of the BFP from all taxes, fees, and fines collected pursuant to Republic Act 9514, proceeds from the disposal of excess and uneconomically repairable equipment and other movable assets of the BFP, supplemental assistance from Congress due to surpluses, loans, grants, or donations, and the fund’s interest income.
Local government units are also authorized and encouraged to have local equity in the modernization of BFP units stationed in their respective jurisdictions.
Salceda said his amendment on security group for BFP was also adopted.
According to the lawmaker, the language on the proposed Security and Protection Unit of the BFP embodied in the bill was debated in the Senate version, but remains to be a Presidential priority.
“Acts of terror and other disturbances of peace and order often require the efforts of the BFP. Sometimes, the threat to peace still exists when fires also have to be fought. This was the case during the Zamboanga siege where firefighters were ill-prepared to defend themselves while containing fires,” Salceda said.
“The provision was fiercely debated in the Senate, so I proposed clearer and more acceptable language that the panel accepted,” Salceda said.
Under the amendment, the Security and Protection Unit will be mobilized and provided with equipment “appropriate for self-defense and the defense of others during exceptional emergencies, especially those related to a disturbance of peace and order where the assistance of the BFP is required or sought.”
The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police would also provide the Security and Protection Unit with appropriate defensive and civilian-oriented training.
Salceda said the amendment allays fears of militarizing the BFP, while also ensuring that the intent of the President and the proponents is captured fully.