SENATOR RONALD "BATO" DELA ROSA
SPONSORSHIP SPEECH
BFP and BJMP Rank Classification and Organization
Committee Report No. 212
Senate Bill No. 2586
March 12, 2024

Mr. President, I rise to sponsor Senate Bill No. 2586 under Committee Report No. 212, which provides for the rank classification and organization of key positions in the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Sa gitna ng kadiliman, kahit na ang munting ilaw na dala ng isang alitaptap ay maaaring magbigay ng pag-asa. Ngunit ang napabayaan namang kandila ay maaaring magdulot ng hindi masukat na pinsala. Sabi nga ng tanyag na manunulat na si Leo Tolstoy: "A spark neglected, burns the whole house."

With this in mind, I believe one mark of leadership is the ability to notice such a spark, Mr. President. The ability to notice, to pay attention, to that which would have otherwise been ignored, or taken for granted. Katulad po ninyo Ginoong Pangulo, binibigyang pansin ng tunay na lider ang mga bagay na tila madaling makaligtaan, o di kaya'y tila madaling isantabi o ipagpaliban. Nakikita ng tunay na lider ang mga ito at kanyang binibigyan ng solusyon.

Today, Mr. President, your Committee on Public Order joint with Committees on Local Government and Finance, would like to report to this august body the spark we saw. A spark which we should not let burn an entire house and start a wildfire. At present, there is a noticeable build-up of embers in the Bureau of Fire Protection or BFP and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology or BJMP that threatens to engulf them. You see, their current rank classification is highly combustible and even the smallest friction could cause these organizations to go up in flames.

They who fight and put out our fires for us, and those who confront the painful and tedious realities of reformation for us, should never be neglected. Let this day be the moment of conversation that addresses their concerns, especially in terms of whether or not they are being equitably recognized and compensated.

Almost literally, it feels like only yesterday when we approved, on Third Reading, the Jail Integration Act, transferring our provincial and sub-provincial jails to the supervision of the BJMP. And we can also move a little further to the past, back in 2020 when this representation, with the support of the BFP and this august chamber, braved the fires that surrounded us, including a worldwide pandemic, in fighting for the enactment of the BFP Modernization Act.

Kung mapapansin ninyo, Mr. President, both measures have sought to expand the territory, so to speak, of our BJMP and BFP. As a consequence, the scope of their respective duties and responsibilities is also being expanded. Because of this expansion, it should follow that the classification of their ranks be adjusted and their pay be standardized.

Mr. President, nabanggit ko noong nakaraang linggo, "to whom much is given, much is also expected". Pero maganda rin palang itanong, Mr. President, kung ano na nga ba talaga ang naibigay natin sa ating mga BFP at BJMP personnel. Who are we to expect much from the people we perhaps have not given enough?

That is what we seek to address in this proposed measure, Mr. President. Senate Bill No. 2586 aims to address the inequalities present in Republic Act No. 9263, or the "Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Professionalization Act of 2004." Uulitin ko. 2004 pa itong batas na ito. Sa loob ng dalawang dekada, hindi huminto ang pagbabago sa ating lipunan. Para sa kaalaman ng lahat, sa taong 2004, kalalabas lamang ng Facebook, Mr. President. Something that is already so familiar to us now, was just starting out, in the year that we legislated the BFP and the BJMP's professionalization.

As we continue to move along the advancement of human intellect and technology, the need for our laws to be updated has become more justified.

Updating and amending this law on their professionalization becomes a necessary endeavor. It not only gives our fellow public servants proper identification but also grants them more acceptable and equitable compensation, the kind that they deserve.

Under the proposed bill, we are updating the nomenclature of positions in the BFP and BJMP. Susundin po natin ang naging rank classification na ipinatupad sa Philippine National Police. Alinsunod ito, kung dati ay Director ang opisyal na tawag sa rank ng kanilang Chief, ngayon ay gagawin na nating Fire or Jail General. The respective Deputy Chiefs for Administration at Operations, na siyang assistant ng Fire or Jail Chief, ay bibigyan na natin ng rank na Fire o Jail Brigadier General, na dati ay Senior Superintendent lamang.

Ang second in command naman ay magiging Fire or Jail Lieutenant General, mula sa dating Chief Superintendent. Gayundin ang magiging posisyon ng third at fourth in command. Samantalang ang fifth officers in command naman ay magkakaroon ng rank na Fire or Jail Major General, mula sa rank na senior superintendent.

Mr. President, Senate Bill No. 2589 also ensures that the BFP and BJMP ranks are commensurate with their qualification standards. In line with this, of course, Mr. President, are the corresponding adjustments also to their salary grades.

The purpose of this legislation is nothing short of remarkable. Again, there is no amount of compensation that can ever equal the sacrifices of our men and women of the BFP and BJMP. They are our modern day heroes and there is no doubt as to their willingness to risk their lives for our people. And it is just as doubtless -- heroes need not be dead to be honored.

Mr. President, I cannot thank you enough for taking time to participate and contribute to this noble undertaking. Our BFP and BJMP personnel have continued to do the work that they do even in the absence of legislation that properly recognizes them. Even in the absence of the recognition that is due them, they have acted to the best of their ability. Each one of them. Be it responding to every burning emergency or facilitating the desire of any PDL to turn over a new leaf. They dedicate their whole lives to these endeavors, and again, even in the absence of proper recognition. Or, at least, even when the very law that serves to recognize them is already as old as Facebook.

The flames in the hearts of our BFP personnel are eternal and their passion for service keeps on burning. Let this legislation add more fuel to their fire. At the same time, it is simply impossible to build a jail large enough to restrict and confine the hard work and dedication of the BJMP. Let us continue to liberate them from unnecessary burdens. I pray that this legislative measure holds the key.

Mr. President, with your leadership and the support of our colleagues, I know we cannot simply shrug our shoulders and postpone this for yet another Congress. Tolstoy was right. Indeed, if we neglect a spark, it might burn a whole house. But if that spark is the spark of nobility and goodness, which burns in the heart of everyone in the BFP and the BJMP, then may this piece of legislation serve to fan those flames, not extinguish them. To the noble men and women of the BFP and BJMP, thank you for your service, you are not forgotten. I believe I speak for this Senate when I say: we are paying attention and we shall act and work accordingly.

Thank you, Mr. President.