The relief of several Makati City Fire Station officials over the obstruction of the fire truck bay clearly reflects the Marcos administration’s firm commitment to public safety, a Malacañang official said Wednesday.

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro welcomed the move of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla to relieve several officials of the fire station upon seeing privately-owned vehicles parked in the station’s fire truck bay during a surprise inspection.

Remulla said the obstruction posed a serious threat to the station’s ability to respond swiftly during fire and medical emergencies.

“Alinsunod ito sa utos ng Pangulo na pagandahin pa ang performance ng lahat ng opisina ng gobyerno sa buong bansa,” Castro said. “Bawal ang patulog-tulog sa serbisyo. Lahat dapat nagtatrabaho.”

Castro said the relief of the involved personnel showed the Marcos administration’s broader push for efficiency, discipline, and accountability across all government offices.

Public service must always come before personal convenience, Castro said.

“Serbisyo publiko ang unahin, hindi ang sarili,” Castro said.

The personnel involved may face administrative sanctions for willful impropriety or gross negligence in the performance of duty under Republic Act 9514 or the Fire Code of the Philippines, which mandates that fire lanes and emergency access bays remain unobstructed at all times to prevent service disruptions. | PND