ILOILO – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has disputed figures indicating that barely half of Iloilo Province’s fire trucks are operational, maintaining that 65 of its 71 assigned units remain serviceable and emergency response operations are uninterrupted.
The BFP-Iloilo Provincial Office issued the clarification amid mounting concerns that several municipalities could be left vulnerable during fires because of defective or unavailable firefighting vehicles.
An inventory from the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)–Iloilo Chapter as of March 18, 2026 showed that 41 of the province’s 77 fire trucks were operational, while 15 were dilapidated and 22 needed repairs.
The inventory identified 11 municipalities without functional fire trucks: Tubungan, Leon, Badiangan, Bingawan, Cabatuan, Anilao, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Carles, Lemery and San Dionisio.
The reported shortage reached the attention of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., who began exploring ways for the provincial government to assist local government units without fire trucks or with insufficient firefighting equipment.
However, the BFP said its latest records showed that 65 of the 71 fire trucks assigned to the province were fully operational.
It said the remaining units were undergoing scheduled preventive maintenance and necessary repairs to ensure their safety, reliability and operational readiness.
The agency, however, admitted having recalibrated its emergency response system to ensure that municipalities with temporarily unserviceable fire trucks would immediately receive assistance from nearby stations.
“To effectively address fire stations with temporarily non-serviceable fire trucks, the Bureau has reviewed, amended, and recalibrated its emergency response protocols, including the enhancement of its Running Card System. This ensures that the nearest available fire station with a serviceable fire truck is automatically dispatched, thereby maintaining the fastest possible response time during fire and other emergency incidents,” the BFP-Iloilo said in its official statement.
It assured the public that firefighting and other emergency response operations across the province remain fully functional and uninterrupted.
The BFP-Iloilo said it continues to strengthen its operational capability through coordination with Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, volunteer fire brigades, local government units and other emergency response partners.
It added that repairs, rehabilitation and the acquisition of additional firefighting assets would continue under the BFP modernization program and in accordance with government procurement laws and procedures.
The agency also thanked the Iloilo Provincial Government, local chief executives, volunteer fire brigades, partner agencies and the Ilonggo public for their continued cooperation and support./PN
