Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) chief Jesus Fernandez was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman which has filed a graft case against him in the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft body said the criminal cases of Fernandez and another private individual stemmed from the procurement of 132 ambulances worth ?485 million.
‘The Ombudsman found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to charge Fernandez,’ it said in a statement.
Fernandez was charged with two counts of indirect bribery and two counts of violation of Section 3(b) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In a separate administrative case arising from the same transaction, the anti-graft body found Fernandez guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and grave misconduct.
‘This carries the penalty of dismissal from the service, including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service,’ Ombudsman said.
Inquirer is still trying to reach Fernandez for comment. We will include his side in this story once available.
According to the Ombudsman, Fernandez’s cases and dismissal stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government following a fact-finding investigation by Task Force BFP Accountability into the procurement of 132 units of Type 1 Basic Life Support ambulances.
The contract, Ombudsman said, was awarded to Toyota Mabolo, which entered into a joint venture with Autozone Prime Distributors, Inc. for the project.
The joint venture’s representative Rosaverna Sangga was also charged with two counts of Corruption of Public Officials under Article 212 of the Revised Penal Code.
Investigators alleged that Fernandez ‘allegedly received a total of ?14.752 million’ from Sangga.
This amount was allegedly delivered on two separate occasions, according to investigators.
Sangga allegedly delivered ?10.752 million to Fernandez on November 21, 2024, and another ?4 million on Sept. 25, 2025, according to the Ombudsman ruling.
The ruling further stated that Fernandez was the bids and awards committee chairperson when he received the ‘first SOP’ in Nov. 2024, while he was the head of the procuring entity when he received the ‘second SOP’ in Sept. 2025.
It further said that ‘receiving any gift, compensation, promise, or consideration from any individual in relation to his position gives the appearance of impropriety, which does not only bring doubt to his credibility but significantly tarnishes the credibility of the agency that he leads, in this case, especially in the process of procurement