DILG to serve suspension on BFP chief

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Interior and Local Government will serve orders issued by the Office of the Ombudsman suspending Bureau of Fire Protection head Chief Superintendent Rolando Bandilla Jr. and his deputy, Chief Inspector Jhufel Brañanola, DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said yesterday.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the DILG to place Bandilla and Brañanola under suspension for nine months after they were found guilty of allegedly defrauding a fire victim of her insurance claims.

Morales also ordered the filing of graft charges against Bandilla and Brañanola before the Sandiganbayan and ordered Robredo to immediately implement the suspension order.

“Once we receive the order, we would implement it. It would be most probably by next Monday or Tuesday,” Robredo said, adding that Bandilla is still on leave until Nov. 24.

Robredo has appointed deputy fire chief for administration Chief Superintendent Samuel Perez as acting BFP chief. Bandilla and Perez both belong to the Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1986.

Robredo said the DILG could not implement Bandilla’s suspension order before Nov. 24 even if they have already received a copy of it. “The suspension is a penalty, not a preventive suspension. Once he (Bandilla) reports back to work, we will implement his suspension. Brañanola is not on leave but we still have to receive the order for his suspension,” he said.

Robredo said under the rules, the DILG is given five days from receipt of the suspension order to implement it. He said the DILG will not question the Ombudsman’s order and it will be up for the two accused BFP officials to defend themselves before the court.

“This has happened before my time and we will not question the decision of the Ombudsman,” he said.

In her 12-page decision, Morales found Bandilla, then acting chief of the BFP’s Intelligence Division, and Brañanola, chief of the Investigation Division, guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service by issuing changing and conflicting arson reports on a 2008 fire that occurred on a property owned by Emma Lin in Plaridel, Bulacan. The property was insured under two fire policies totaling P70 million.

An investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), however, showed that “by their (Bandilla and Brañanola) collective acts of defrauding the fire victims” the two “acted in conspiracy with each other in order to create doubt in the findings of the BFP.”

“This office finds sufficient substantial evidence against respondents for the administrative transgression of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, for they acted in conspiracy in the discharge of their respective official administrative functions, so as to create doubts as to its previous findings and with the end view of having complainant’s legitimate insurance claim denied, through manifest partiality and evident bad faith,” Morales’ order read.