The Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force has identified some personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Davao City who are considered “liable” for the NCCC Mall fire that took 38 lives.
We already identified the personnel but we cannot reveal their names yet pending the completion of documents we requested from different offices, IATF spokesperson Jerome Candido bared.
Candido said among those found liable are retired BFP personnel.
“Hindi po ako makabigay kung ano ang specific charges kontra kanila (I cannot also give yet the specific charges against them),” he said.
He said the investigating team is now back-tracking the records of the Davao City Fire District pertaining to the fire safety inspection certificate issued to NCCC Mall Davao and SSI Philippines since they operated in the city.
“Our backtracking starts in 2003 in so far as NCCC Mall is concerned while with the call center (SSI Philippines) it was 2008,” he said.
He said the task force has yet to complete the documents they asked from the Davao City Fire District and Office of the City Building Official.
Candido said his team also asked the NCCC Mall and SSI Philippines to produce some documents such as the fire safety inspection certificate. He said IATF will also request the Philippine Economic Zone Authority for some documents since this agency issued permit to SSI Philippines when the establishment operated in the city.
Candido said according to the Davao City Fire District, the PEZA has an exclusive jurisdiction on SSI Philippines and they are going to probe what permit was granted by the agency to the said establishment.
However, the BFP will still issue a fire safety inspection certificate because it is a requirement to every establsihment to comply before they will be given an occupancy permit from the local government, since SSI Philippines is occupying the fourth floor of the mall.
“Yun ang hianahanap natiin, kung sino ang nag-issue, (That’s what we are looking for) because evidently, SSI was allowed to occupy even if they do not have an automatic fire suppression system ,” he said.
Also, Candido said that the fire alarm system of SSI Philippines is not connected to the main system of the mall.
