GOVERNMENT auditors have revealed that 534 motor vehicles being used by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in five regions are not registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
The 2021 audit of the BFP released last July 20 showed the unregistered vehicles were found under BFP-NCR (130), BFP-Region 3 (153), BFP-Region 6 (103), BFP-Region 5 (93), and BFP-Region 11 (46). In addition, the BFP-National Headquarters also has nine vehicles with unrenewed registration.
The count includes not only service vehicles in BFP’s fleet but also fire engines/firetrucks distributed in the said regional offices based on the agency’s most recent Report of Physical Count of Property, Plant, and Equipment (RPCPPE).
“Verification of the Certificate of Registration (CRs) and Official Receipts (ORs) covering the registration of motor vehicles and firetrucks showed that of the 777 motor vehicles and firetrucks recorded in the RPCPPE, registration of 534 units were not renewed in CY 2021,” the audit team said.
A detailed status report of the unregistered vehicles showed the NCR list included 73 firetrucks — 16 without documents and 57 tagged as “beyond economic repair.”
In the case of BFP-Region 3, all 153 unregistered vehicles were fire trucks, including 48 Jiangte fire engines acquired from China, and 68 units transferred from the PC-INP dating back more than 30 years earlier.
Both BFP Regions 3 and 6 admitted that many of the unregistered vehicles in their fleets had no OR/CR hence they cannot be registered with the LTO.
BFP Region 11 said the Jiangte and Rosenbauer fire trucks in its custody were transferred to it by BFP-NHQ with incomplete documents other than property acknowledgment receipts (PARs) and journal entry vouchers (JEVs).
The Commission on Audit warned that unless addressed immediately, failure to renew registrations could cause bigger headaches for the agency.
“The non-renewal thereof renders the registration of the said motor vehicles and firetrucks delinquent and invalid, and will cost unnecessary charges for penalties,” the COA added.
The BFP said it has instructed regional offices to comply with the re-registration of their vehicle fleets by tracking down proper documentation for the vehicles and firetrucks.
