Statement on the Senate approval of issuance of Firearms for Firefighters

On 4 August 2021, the Senate ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on Senate Bill No. 1832 and its counterpart in the House of Representatives, H.B. No. 7406, which both seek to modernize the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). While the aim of the proposed measure is certainly praiseworthy, the provisions which create the “Security and Protection Unit” or SPU, an armed unit of the BFP should be cause for concern.

Republic Act (R.A.) No. 6975, which created the BFP, specifically mandates it to be responsible for the prevention and suppression of destructive fire, and to enforce the Fire Code and all other relevant laws. It is a civilian agency tasked to respond to emergencies, and to save lives and property. It remains to be seen how arming the members of the BFP will aid it in fulfilling this mandate, especially when there is already an agency whose pronounced purpose is to maintain peace and order and ensure public safety– the Philippine National Police (PNP).

It is useful to recall why the BFP was established in the first place. Prior to the enactment of R.A. No. 6975, firefighters were part of the fire service of the now defunct Integrated National Police. The express aim of R.A. No. 6975 was to create a highly efficient and competent police force that is national in scope and civilian in character, in line with the directive of Section 6, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution to establish and maintain only one police force. To that end, the functions of policework, jail management, and firefighting were delegated to different agencies with the goal of ensuring that each of these agencies focus on their specific mandates and professionalizing their ranks. 

Arming firefighters is thus not only a redundant exercise – it is quite simply a step back and in the wrong direction.

The authors of the measure assure the public that the members of the SPU will be properly trained in the handling and use of firearms. But there is a more pertinent question. What measures of accountability will be put in place?  

Even today, we continue to see instances of police abuse and overreach. There are many cases that remain unresolved. Putting firearms in the hands of more people without improving systems built to allow citizens to hold their peace officers accountable will only open up the possibility of more abuse.

The resources to be spent on the creation of an SPU are better directed at the other more productive parts of the measure – the purchase of up-to-date fire equipment, improvements in training, and the enhancement of fire prevention strategies. 

We call on our lawmakers to focus and redouble their efforts on attaining the unmet goals of R.A. 6975, namely to promote the professionalization of those among the PNP’s ranks and to improve and empower the bodies designed to exact accountability from our police, such as the People’s Law Enforcement Board. We must also continue to call for resolution to the numerous cases of violations of human rights committed by peace officers. Doing this will only improve the capacity of the PNP to properly fulfill its mandate and enable our firefighters to focus on their primary purpose – to save lives.

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