PEZA, BFP ink agreement on Fire Code enforcement

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) have entered into an agreement to improve coordination and enforcement of the Fire Code of the Philippines in industrial zones.

The agreement signed on Jan. 18 seeks to govern the administration and implementation of the Fire Code in all PEZA-administered economic zones in the country, including IT parks and centers.

The agreement is in line with the administration’s thrust to promote simplification of government transactions, inter-operability of government processes, and to strengthen communication and coordination among government agencies.

Under the agreement, PEZA will endorse to BFP all applications for building permits, occupancy permits and certificate of annual inspection for the issuance of the Fire Safety Evaluation Clearance (FSEC) and Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC).

PEZA will not issue permits unless the BFP has issued the required FSEC, FSIC, and Fire Code-related clearances.

The BFP, meanwhile, will be responsible for the implementation of the Fire Code among PEZA-registered enterprises.

In all fire incidents in PEZA-registered enterprises, the BFP will likewise be responsible for the fire investigation without prejudice to the cooperation and assistance of PEZA.

“PEZA is thankful for the support of BFP and Department of Interior and Local Government in our recently signed MOA for better coordination and enforcement of the Fire Code of the Philippines in the economic zones and industry,” PEZA director general Charito Plaza said.

“We decided to give up all the usual responsibilities of PEZA. Inspection will be done already by BFP but we will jointly work with them as far as providing them with office space in our ecozones. We will also continuously help in monitoring for compliance of our industries and then we will improve suppression capability by adding more firetrucks and firefighters,” Plaza added.