December 7, 1998 - Orphanage Fire Shows Effect of Centralization on Manila FD

Orphanage fire shows decentralization's effect - By Bernardo M. Villegas

THE pitfalls and defects of centralization are now exposed by the Thursday morning fire that killed 23 children and five adults in the Asociacion de Damas de Pilipinas orphanage in Paco. As a result of that fire, the authorities realized for the first time that just 500 of the country's more than 1,500 municipalities have fire trucks. Of the total of 1,104 trucks, only 20 percent are running. In Manila, out of 40 fire trucks, only about 10 are running.

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All fire departments are under the Bureau of Fire Protection which in turn is under the Department of the Interior and Local Governments. The mayors are supposed to have a say in their operations, but their role is unclear. For instance, the DILG relieved the chief of the Paco fire station, the nearest to the scene of the fire and the last to respond. Manila Mayor Lito Atienza is asking for the relief of the entire Manila Fire Department personnel.

Atienza, declaring that the firemen were not under his control, said: "We have no business judging the culpability of officials or members of the BFP, but will recommend their relief..." It is in black and white: A mayor has no control over the firemen in his city.

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On the other hand, President Estrada ordered DILG Undersecretary Ronaldo Puno to meet all Metro Manila mayors today to pinpoint the deficiencies of the fire departments. He said that the mayors should shoulder the expenses for acquiring fire trucks and see that existing units are kept in good operating condition. Surely, the mayors are going to object. They are to spend for equipment and upkeep, but may not control those using such equipment.

Many mayors, hit by the low revenue collections brought on by poor business conditions, are struggling just to pay the 13th month salaries to their employes.

Where to raise the millions for new fire trucks? Besides, they know that the BFP is funded by the national budget.

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A centralized organization's main defect is that it is out of touch with the needs of the agencies under it. The DILG devotes the bulk of its efforts to running the police departments scattered all over the country. It keeps watch over governors and mayors. It doesn't know what goes on in the fire departments. It takes a disaster such as the orphanage fire to make it realize that there is a lack of fire trucks and that existing ones are not kept in good order. In preparing the BFP budget for 1999, the DILG allowed a P400 million slash from the present one of P3.2 billion. It did not provide for the purchase of fire trucks.

The budget has P264.5 million for, among others, the maintenance of fire trucks. If so, why are the mayors now charged with keeping the trucks in running condition?

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Section 6 of Article XVI of the Constitution states: "The State shall establish and maintain one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission...'' The Constitution is silent about the firemen, but they have also been integrated into a national force. If ever the Constitution is to be rewritten or amended, that is one provision to strike out.

Break up the monoliths which have been shown to be ineffective. Let the mayors regain control of the police and the firemen. Those guys are always thinking of re-election. They have to shine. They cannot do worse than the unwieldy agencies now in charge.