MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft and bribery charges against former Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Fire Director Jesus P. Fernandez over the procurement of 132 ambulances worth P485.6 million.
Fernandez faces two counts each of indirect bribery and violation of Section 3(b) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, before the Sandiganbayan.
The charges stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government following a fact-finding investigation by Task Force BFP Accountability into the ambulance procurement.
The Ombudsman found that Fernandez, then chairman of the BFP Bids and Awards Committee, allegedly received P14.752 million from Rosaverna P. Sangga, the designated representative of the joint venture that secured the contract.
“Sangga delivered Ten Million Seven Hundred Fifty-Two Thousand Pesos (P10,752,000.00) on 21 November 2024, and Four Million Pesos (P4,000,000.00) on 25 September 2025 to FDir. Fernandez,” the ruling stated.
The contract was awarded to Toyota Mabolo, which entered into a joint venture with Autozone Prime Distributors Inc., while Sangga was separately charged with two counts of corruption of public officials under Article 212 of the Revised Penal Code.
In a separate administrative case, the Ombudsman found Fernandez guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and grave misconduct, resulting in his dismissal from government service and perpetual disqualification from reemployment.
