Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Thursday ordered a deeper probe into the firefighter who was arrested for allegedly promising officer slots in the Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) lateral entry program in exchange for a fee.
In a report from the Philippine News Agency, Abalos expressed anger over the act of the suspect Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Ramces Paul Benipayo, which he said is unacceptable.
“We will not tolerate this kind of illegal activity. That’s why I’ve already ordered the PNP (Philippine National Police) to work closely with the BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) to get to the bottom of this issue and prosecute everyone involved. Walang puwang sa gobyerno natin at sa DILG or sa BFP for that matter ang mga katulad niya (There is no place for people like him in the DILG and in our government),” Abalos said.
According to authorities, Benipayo’s scheme involves convincing his would-be victims to give him money in exchange for a non-existent promotion, which he claims would be facilitated by his ‘contacts’ in the BFP.
After Chief Supt. Gilbert Dolot, head of the Investigation Division (IID), reported that three more complainants came forward and accused the suspect, Abalos ordered a thorough investigation into the case and background of Benipayo to determine if he has any cohorts in the BFP.
On Tuesday afternoon, Benipayo was arrested in an entrapment in Muntinlupa City by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the BFP’s IID.
Benipayo is currently facing an administrative case initiated by the BFP and is presently placed on preventive suspension pending the investigative process. If proven guilty, he could face dismissal from his position.
Additionally, he is facing criminal charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 3019, commonly referred to as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as estafa in relation to RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Law. These allegations have been brought before the Muntinlupa City Prosecutor’s Office.
At the moment, he is detained at the CIDG detention facility.
