After sacking director, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday said he also relieved 28 Bureau of Fire Protection Region VI personnel who went and held a party at Boracay, including a COVID-19 positive employee.
Año said a total of 28 fire personnel in Region VI were removed from their posts pending probe on the incident wherein a BFP employee who did not finish her quarantine period in Iloilo roamed around the island while waiting for her COVID-19 test, which turned out to be positive.
“Well, a total of 28 personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection Region VI were relieved of their positions, and of course they are undergoing quarantine. We have formed an investigation team that is coming from the headquarters of the Bureau of Fire Protection, they are going now to Iloilo to start the formal investigation,” Año told ANC.
Also read: BFP Region 6 director sacked after Boracay party
The DILG Secretary also said the BFP employees had been placed under floating status. He added that as of Tuesday, 196 BFP Region 6 personnel underwent a rapid antibody test while the 28 would undergo RT/PCR testing for COVID-19. The relieved BFP-6 employees were also placed under quarantine.
“It will come out later what is the extent of the individuals’ participation or accountability, so that is why we have this investigation team,” he said.
“Makikita natin dito kung ano ‘yung accountability ng isa’t isa, whether it is command responsibility of the senior officers who participated and for the other officers, what are the extent… let’s say for example there was a report that they’ve been drinking there or if they violated physical distancing while they are having their gathering,” he added.
The incident placed the 24 staff of the hotel, where the fire personnel stayed for two nights, and about nine boatmen, who transported them under quarantine.
The Department of Tourism already started the accreditation revocation procedures on the resort that accommodated the BFP employees because it did not have a certificate of authority to operate at the time.
Año on Wednesday sacked the Bureau of Fire Protection Western Visayas (BFP-6) director Fire Senior Superintendent Roderick Aguto, who was replaced by Fire Senior Superintendent Jerry Candido.