AS part of the national government’s commitment to ensure security and the rule of law in areas of the country that need essential government services, the Department of Budget and Management has approved the release of P199 million to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the procurement of 33 fire trucks.
This release coincides with the designation of the month of March as Fire Prevention Month, and is part of the P22.47-billion supplemental budget passed in December 2014. Aside from being part of the ARMM Transition Investment Support Plan, the amount of P199 million also supplements the BFP’s P8-billion budget in the fiscal year 2015 General Appropriations Act.
Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said: “These fire trucks are the final element needed to complement the recently constructed fire stations in the ARMM municipalities. That’s why we need to guarantee budgetary support for agencies like the BFP, whose main task is to ensure public order and safety. With the help of these agencies, we’ll be able to establish an environment of social stability in areas that need it so that inclusive development can thrive and grow.”
Each of the 33 recently constructed ARMM fire stations will receive one water tank pumper truck, which has a capacity of 3,800 liters. These fire stations are located throughout the five ARMM provinces—Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi—and their construction was completed in 2013.