MANILA - With the recent signing of an executive order institutionalizing 911 as the country’s national emergency hotline number, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año has assured the public of improved emergency assistance services related to crime prevention, public order, and public safety.
“We welcome President Duterte’s signing of Executive Order No. 56 because this reinforces the administration’s efforts to better serve the public by providing them prompt and efficient assistance in times of emergencies through hotline 911,” Año said.
He also enjoined government agencies and LGUs providing emergency aid to immediate link their systems to 911 to make it the lone emergency hotline number.
“Let us not confuse the public with many hotline numbers. As directed by the President, let 911 be the sole number for emergency assistance,” he said.
He also called on private communication carriers and telecommunication companies to provide uninterrupted connectivity and integration of calls made by their subscribers to the emergency hotline.
Executive Order No. 56 signed by the President last May 25 institutionalizes the emergency 911 hotline as the nationwide emergency answering system, replacing Patrol 117.
Under the EO, the DILG Secretary shall serve as Chairperson of the Emergency 911 Commission that will serve as the policy making body and overseer of the emergency national program, with the Secretary of the Department of Information and Communication Technology as Vice-Chairperson.
With the signing of the directive, Año has encouraged local government units to set up and operationalize local 911 call centers within their areas that will be under the overall supervision of the National Call Center.
To date, there are eight emergency call centers nationwide with 169 manpower complement who are handling the 911 emergency calls. The largest emergency call center in Metro Manila with 74 manpower and one in Cebu with 22 manpower, both managed by the DILG. There is also the 911 system in Davao City that was established by the President when he was still mayor.
The remaining six emergency call centers are managed by the LGUs. These are located in Bataan with six manpower; Tarlac with seven manpower; Ilocos Norte with 11 manpower; La Union with 13 manpower; Puerto Princesa with 22 manpower; and Parañaque City with 14 manpower.
“Help should be within the reach of every Filipino in dire situations even in the farthest cities and towns. Local governments should therefore prioritize the setting up of their local 911 call centers to assure immediste emergency aid,” Año said.
In one year of operation, there were 6.762 million calls to the 911 hotline. The top cases are vehicular accident with 30,801 cases; emergency medical/ambulance assistance with 29,016 cases; police assistance with 20,965 cases; nuisance with 20,959 cases; and fire-related incidents with 14,916 cases.
Año also warned the public against making fraudulent, hoax and prank reports to 911 as they will be dealt with in accordance with law.
“Hotline 911 should serve its purpose of connecting the first responders with the people who need them. Let us therefore not clog the 911 lines with prank calls as legitimate callers who really need assistance will not be able to get through,” Año said. (PNA and Mindanao Examiner)
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