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Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

parOCT 08

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. pas

Introduced by
HON. RESURRECCION MARRERO-ACOP, MD, HON. ROSE MARIE
“BABY” ARENAS, HON. RUTH MARIANO-HERNANDEZ, HON.
NARCISO R. BRAVO JR., HON. RAUL “BOBOY” C. TUPAS,
HON. RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ, HON. JORGE ANTONIO P.
BUSTOS, HON. LAWRENCE “LAW” H. FORTUN, HON.
DAHLIA A. LOYOLA, HON. MA. BERNARDITA “DITAS” B.
RAMOS, and HON. JOSEFINA B. TALLADO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Pursuant to the constitutional mandate of the State to maintain peace
and order, protect life, liberty and property, and promote the general welfare
of the people, it is the responsibility of the State to strengthen government
capability aimed towards the strengthening of the delivery of basic services
to the citizenry through the institutionalization of highly efficient and
competent fire and jail services.

It is recognized that the uniformed personnel of the Bureau of Fire
Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)
are members of the uniformed service of the government under the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). At present, the
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has an authorized strength of 23,444
personnel, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BUMP) has
an authorized strength of 11,997.

However, the highest rank of uniformed personnel in both Bureaus
pursuant to Republic Act No. 9263 is Fire/Jail Director which is equivalent
to a two-star general rank in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and
the Philippine National Police (PNP). On the other hand, the highest rank in
the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), with an estimated personnel strength of
9,000, is Admiral, which is equivalent to a four-star general rank in the AFP
and PNP. The uniformed men and women of the BFP and the BJMP are
required the same amount of sacrifice, service and dedication like their
counterparts in the PNP, the AFP and the PCG to carry out their respective
duties to the extent of risking their lives and limbs.

RECEIVED “2


Hence for fairness and parity, the rank structure of the uniformed
personnel of the BFP and the BJMP should be upgraded to a level
commensurate with their critical role in maintaining national security and
peace and order, at par with those of the PCG, PNP and AFP, taking into
consideration their exposure to high-risk environments in the performance
of their duties. With this reform, it is anticipated that more efficient and
effective services in the fields of public security and safety administration,
and correction and jail management will be established.

For the foregoing reason, the immediate consideration and passage of
this bill is earnestly urged.

RESURRECOION MARRERO-ACOP, MD
Representative
2n4 District, Antipolo

Representative
24 District, Laguna

1st District, Masbate

RAUL Be!

Representative
St District, Iloilo

BE
‘Representative

2n4 District , Cagayan de Oro City


JORGE NIO P. Bi
Representative

DAHLIA LOYOLA
Represkntative
5% District, Cavite

PrahemerAt fan
MA. BERNARDITA “DITAS” B. RAMOS
Representative
2n4 District, Sorsogon

JOSEFINA B. TALLADO
Representative
1* District, Camarines Norte


Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. Bes

Introduced by

HON. RESURRECCION MARRERO-ACOP, MD, HON. ROSE MARIE
“BABY” ARENAS, HON. FERDINAND L. HERNANDEZ, HON.
NARCISO R. BRAVO JR., HON. RAUL “BOBOY” C. TUPAS,
HON. RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ, HON. JORGE ANTONIO P.
BUSTOS, HON. LAWRENCE “LAW” H. FORTUN, HON.
DAHLIA A. LOYOLA, HON. MA. BERNARDITA “DITAS” B.
RAMOS, and HON. JOSEFINA B. TALLADO

AN ACT PROVIDING FORUPGRADING THE RANK CLASSIFICATION STRUCTURE OF
THE UNIFORMED MEMBERS OF THE BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION (BFP) AND THE
BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOGY (BJMP) ORGANIZATION,
AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6975 AND REPUBLIC ACT
NO. 9263 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Rank Structure of the uniformed
members of Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology of
2019."

SECTION 2. Section 2, paragraph 4 and 5 of Republic Act No. 9263, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy and Principles. —

At present, the Bureau of Fire Protection has an authorized strength of
23,444, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology has an authorized
strength of 11,997. The highest rank in uniformed personnel in both Bureaus
pursuant to Republic Act No. 6975 and Republic Act No. 9263 is Fire/Jail Director
(equivalent to two-star General). On the other hand, the highest rank in the Philippine
Coast Guard (PCG), with an estimate personnel strength of 9,000, is Admiral, which
is equivalent to four-star General in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and Philippine National Police (PNP)

Towards this end, the State shall provide for the upgrading of the rank
structure of uniformed members of the BFP and the BJMP, making it at par with


those of the PNP, the AFP, the BuCor and the PCG which are the uniformed
agencies of the government.”

SECTION 3. Section 3 of Republic Act No. 9263, as amended, is hereby further amended to
read as follows:

“SEC. 3. Organization and Key Positions of the BFP and the BJMP. - The BFP
and the BJMP shall be respectively headed by a Chief who shall be assisted by two
(2) Deputy Chiefs, one (1) for Administration and one (1) for Operations, all of whom
shall be appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Secretary of the
DILG from among the qualified officers with at least the rank of Brigadier General in
the service: Provided, that in no case shall any Officer who has retired or is retirable
within six (6) months from his/her compulsory retirement age be appointed as Chief
of the Fire Bureau or Chief of the Jail Bureau, as the case may be, Provided, further,
that the Chief of the Fire Bureau and Chief of the Jail Bureau shall serve a tour of
duty not to exceed four (4) years: Provided, however, that in times of war or other
National Emergency declared by Congress, the President may extend such tour of
duty.

The Heads of the BFP and the BJMP with the rank of General shall have the
position title of Chief of the Fire Bureau and the Chief of the Jail Bureau, respectively.
The second officer in command of the BFP and the BUMP with the rank of Lieutenant
General shall have the position title of Deputy Chief for Administration of the Fire
Bureau and Deputy Chief for Administration of the Jail Bureau, respectively. The third
officer in command of the BFP and the BJMP with the rank of Lieutenant General
shall have the position title of Deputy Chief for Operation of the Fire Bureau and
Deputy Chief for Operation of the Jail Bureau, respectively. The fourth officer in
command of the BFP and the BUMP with the rank of Lieutenant General shall have
the respective position title of Chief of Directorial Staff of the Fire Bureau and Chief of
Directorial Staff of the Jail Bureau, who shall be assisted by the Directors of the
Directorates in the respective National Headquarters Office with at least the rank of
Major General.

‘The BFP and the BJMP shall construct, establish, operate and maintain their
respective Regional Offices in each of the Administrative Regions of the Country
which shall be respectively headed by a Regional Director for Fire Protection and a
Regional Director of Jail Management and Penology with the rank of Brigadier
General. He/she shall be respectively assisted by the following officers with the rank
of Colonel: Assistant Regional Director for Administration, Assistant Regional
Director for Operations, and Regional Chief of Staff, except in NCR, the
aforementioned officers shall have the rank of Brigadier General.

SECTION 4, Section 5, paragraph D of Republic Act No. 9263, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 4. Appointment of Uniformed Personnel to the BFP and the BJMP. - The
appointment of the BFP and the BJMP shall be effected in the following manners:

d) Fire/ Jail Brigadier General to Fire/Jail General. - Appointed by the
President upon recommendation of the Secretary of the DILG, with the proper
endorsement by the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).”

SECTION 5. Section 7 of Republic Act No. 9263, as amended, is hereby further amended to
read as follows:


“SEC. 7.Upgrading of rank and educational Qualification Standards in the
Designation of Uniformed Personnel of the BFP and the BJMP to Key
Positions. -

a) No person shall be designated to the following key positions in the BFP unless
he/she has met the qualifications provided therein:

1) Municipal Fire Marshal. — Should have the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, who
must have finished at least second year Bachelor of Laws or eamed at least
twelve (12) units in a Master's Degree Program in Public Administration,
Management, Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or other related
disciplines from a recognized institution of leaming, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Fire Bureau;

2) City Fire Marshal. - Should have the rank of Colonel, who must have
finished at least second year Bachelor of Laws or earned at least twenty four
(24) units in a Masters Degree Program in Public Administration,
Management, Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or other related
disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Fire Bureau;

3) District Fire Marshal, District Fire Marshal for the National Capital Region,
Provincial Fire Marshal, Assistant Regional Director for Administration,
Assistant Regional Director for Operations and Regional Chief of Directorial
Staff. - Should have the rank of Colonel, who must be a graduate of Bachelor
of Laws or a holder of a Master's Degree in Public Administration,
Management, Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or other related
disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Fire Bureau;

4) Regional Director for Fire Protection, Assistant Regional Director for
Administration (NCR) and Assistant Regional Director for Operations (NCR) —
Should have at least the rank of Brigadier General, who must be a graduate
of Bachelor of Laws or a holder of Master's Degree in Public Administration,
Management, Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or other related
disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career course for such position
as may be established by the Fire Bureau;

5) Director of the Directorate of the National Headquarters Office and
Regional Director for the National Capital Region. - Should have at least the
rank of Major General, who must be a graduate of Bachelor of Lawsor a
holder of Master's Degree in Public Administration, Management,
Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or other related disciplines from a
recognized institution of learning, and must have satisfactorily passed the
necessary training or career course for such position as may be established
by the Fire Bureau;

6)Deputy Chief for Administration of the Fire Bureau, Deputy Chief for
Operations of the Fire Bureau and Chief Directorial Staff of the Fire Bureau.-
Should have the rank of Lieutenant General, who must be a member of the
Philippine Bar or a holder of a Master's Degree in Public Administration,
Management, Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or other related


disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such as may
be established by the Fire Bureau; and

7)Chief of the Fire Bureau. — Should have the rank of General, who must be a
member of the Philippine Bar or a holder of a Master's Degree in Public
Administration, Management, Engineering, Public Safety, Criminology or
other related discipline from a recognized institution of learning, and must
have satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Fire Bureau.

b) No person shall be designated to the following key positions of the BJMP unless
he/she has met the qualification provided therein:

1) Municipal Jail Warden, — Should have the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, who
have finished at least second year Bachelor of Laws or earned at least twelve
(12) units in a Master’ Degree Program in Management, Public
Administration, Public Safety, Criminology, Penology, Sociology, National
Security Administration, Defense Studies, or other related disciplines from a
recognized institution of learning, and must have satisfactorily passed the
necessary training or career courses for such position as may be established
by the Jail Bureau;

2) City Jail Warden. — Should have the rank of Colonel, who must have
finished at least second year Bachelor of Laws or eamed at least twenty four
(24) units in Master's Degree Program in Management, Public Administration,
Public Safety, Criminology, Penology, Sociology, National Security
Administration, Defense Studies or related disciplines from a recognized
institution of learning and must have satisfactorily passed the necessary
training or career courses for such position as may be established by the Jail
Bureau: Provided, that in City Jails with a population of one thousand (1,000)
‘or more inmates, the City Jail Warden shall the rank and qualification of a
District Jail Warden;

3) District Jail Warden, Provincial Jail Administrator, Assistant Regional
Director for Administration, Assistant Regional Director for Operations and
Regional Chief of Directorial Staff. - Should have the rank of Colonel, who
must be a graduate of Bachelor of Laws or a holder of a Master's Degree in
Management, Public Administration, Public Safety, Criminology, Penology,
Sociology, National Security Administration, Defense Studies or other related
discipline from a recognized institution of leaming, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Jail Bureau;

4) Regional Director for Jail Management and Penology, Assistant Regional
Director for Administration (NCR) and Assistant Regional Director for
Operations (NCR). - Should have the rank of Brigadier General, who must be
a graduate of Bachelor of Laws or a holder of a Master's Degree in
Management, Public Administration, Public Safety, Criminology, Penology,
Sociology, National Security Administration, Defense Studies or other related
discipline from a recognized institution of leaming, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Jail Bureau;

5) Director of the Directorate of the National Headquarters Office and
Regional Director for the National Capital Region. — should have the rank of


Major General, who must be a graduate of Bachelor of Lawsor a holder of a
Master's Degree in Management, Public Administration, Public Safety,
Criminology, Penology, Sociology, National Security Administration, Defense
Studies or other related discipline from a recognized institution of learning,
and must have satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses
for such position as may be established by the Jail Bureau;

6)Deputy Chief for Administration of the Jail Bureau, Deputy Chief for
Operations of the Jail Bureau and Chief of Directorial Staff of the Jail Bureau.
— Should have the rank of Lieutenant General, who must be a member of the
Philippine Bar or a holder of a Master's Degree in Management, Public
Administration, Public Safety, Criminology, Penology, Sociology, National
Security Administration, Defense Studies or other related discipline from a
recognized institution of leaming, and must have satisfactorily passed the
necessary training or career courses for such position as may be established
by the Jail Bureau; and

7) Chief of the Jail Bureau. — Should have the rank of General, who must be a
member of the Philippine Bar or a holder of a Master's Degree in
Management, Public Administration, Public Safety, Criminology, Penology,
Sociology, National Security Administration, Defense Studies or other related
discipline from a recognized institution of leaming, and must have
satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career courses for such
position as may be established by the Jail Bureau.

Any uniformed personnel of the BFP and the BJMP who is currently occupying such
designation for more than five (5) years shall be reclassified of their ranks by
‘operation of law.”

SECTION 6. Section 58 and 64 of Republic Act No. 6975 and Section 12 of Republic Act No.
9263, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 12. Rank Classification. — For purposes of efficient administration,
supervision and control, the rank classification of the members of the BFP and BJMP
shall be as follows:

From To
Fire/Jail Director General Fire/Jail General
Fire/Jail Deputy —_ Director | Fire/Jail Lieutenant General
General
Fire/Jail Director Fire/Jail Major General

Fire/Jail Chief Superintendent __| Fire/Jail Brigadier General
Fire/Jail Senior Superintendent _| Fire/Jail Colonel

Fire/Jail Superintendent Fire/Jail Lieutenant Colonel
Fire/Jail Chief inspector Fire/Jail Major

Fire/Jail Senior Inspector Fire/Jail Captain

Fire/ Jail Inspector Fire/Jail Lieutenant.

Senior Fire/Jail Officer |V Fire/Jail Executive Master Sergeant
Senior Fire/Jail Officer Ill Fire/Jail Chief Master Sergeant
‘Senior Fire/Jail Officer Il Fire/Jail Senior Master Sergeant
‘Senior Fire/Jail Officer | Fire/Jail Master Sergeant

Fire/ Jail Officer II! Fire/Jail Staff Sergeant

Fire/Jail Officer I! Fire/Jail Corporal

Fire/Jail Officer | Fire/JailMan/Woman



SECTION 7. Implementation Rules and Regulations. - The DILG in coordination with the
BFP and the BJMP, the CSC, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and the
Department of Finance (DOF) shall, within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act,
promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to implement the provision of this Act.

SECTION 8. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other provisions
not affected thereby.

SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, and
other issuances, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are
hereby deemed repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 10. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation,
whichever comes earlier.

Approved,

RESURRECGION MARRERO-ACOP, MD
Representative

2n4 District, Antips (ae
y= ri

Representative
2°4 District, Laguna

1st District, Masbate

RAUL “BOBOY” C. TUPAS
Representative
St District, Iloilo


RUFUS B.’ROD! EZ
R¢presentative
2nd District , Cagayan de Oro City

JORGE ANTONIO P. BYSTOS
Representative

1« istrict, Agusan del Norte

DAHLIA A] LOYOLA
Represdntative
5t District, Cavite

MA. BERNARDITA “DITAS” B. RAMOS
Representative
24 District, Sorsogon

ae TALLADO

Representative
1*t District, Camarines Norte