DILG should settle Fire Code fees issue – DOJ

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should settle the issue about the supposed inability of local government units to deposit in a trust fund fire safety regulation fees meant for the modernization of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Department of Justice (DOJ) said over the weekend.

According to BFP director Louie Puracan, LGUs have been spending 20 percent of the Fire Code fees instead of remitting the full amount to the National Treasury.

“Many LGUs are retaining their 20 percent share of the Fire Code fees and are directly using the amount without the approval of the BFP,” Puracan said.

In a legal opinion sought by the BFP last month, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the DILG should settle the issue.

“The authority of the BFP in the assessment of Fire Code taxes, fees and fines is clearly vested by law. In terms of collection, the BFP may enter into an agreement with the LGUs allowing the latter to be deputized as assessors or collecting officers,” Remulla said.

He said the DILG has resolved similar issues in the past in favor of the BFP.

Remulla also responded to the BFP’s query on whether governing bodies of economic zones may collect Fire Code fees.

“There is nothing in the Fire Code of the Philippines that places the decentralized eco-zones on the same footing as LGUs with respect to the 20 percent share of the fees collection,” he explained.