DILG eyeing unified 911 emergency system

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday revealed its plan to establish a “national unified 911 emergency system”  within the next three years.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla explained that the proposed unified 911 emergency system would be “language-sensitive,” catering to the diverse languages spoken in various regions nationwide.

“Wherever you come from, ang sasagot sa inyo is either your local language, English, or Tagalog. That’s number one, so we will have 10 call centers all around the country na direct ang communication niyo for our emergency response, hindi na ‘yung iba iba,” Remulla said in his speech during the 2024 Seal of Good Local Governance National Awarding at the Manila Hotel.

(Wherever you come from, the response will be either in your local language, English, or Tagalog. That’s number one. We will have 10 call centers all around the country that will directly communicate with you for our emergency response, no more separate channels.)

He added that to ensure a seamless user experience for the unified 911 system, the agency will work to strengthen the emergency response capabilities of all local government units.

“Bibili tayo ng 10,000 na ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks, at sisiguraduhin natin na lahat ng local government units may capacity to respond sa lahat ng emergencies. Hindi pwedeng tawag lang tapos walang nangyayari,” Remulla said.

(We will purchase 10,000 ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks, and we will ensure that all local government units have the capacity to respond to all emergencies. It’s not enough to just make a call; there has to be a response.)

The DILG is currently utilizing the “modernized 911 emergency system” launched in August this year.

This system aims to provide a three-minute response time to emergencies and incorporates enhanced technology to trace prank callers brought by the partnership with telecommunications firm PLDT.