DILG to public: 911 not for prank calls

With the Philippines set to roll out the 911 emergency hotline on Aug. 1, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) appealed to the public not to fool around with the number—as it could spell life and death.

“Nakikiusap po kami sa publiko na huwag tumawag sa 911 para lang subukan ito o manloko dahil makakasagabal ang mga taong totoong tumatawag sa hotline at nangangailangan ng tulong,” said DILG Secretary Ismael “Mike” D. Sueno.

(We ask the public not to call 911 just to try it or as a prank because this will hinder people who truly need assistance from getting real help.)

READ: ‘911’ to be PH’s official emergency hotline by August

“’Yung mga tao, pwedeng ‘wag ‘yung kalokohan para ‘yung mga responders natin sa Police (PNP), Fire (BFP) can immediately respond and take action,” Sueno said, in a recent statement.

(Please don’t fool around with it so that the responders from the Police (PNP), Fire (BFP) can immediately respond and take action.)

“For every abstained prank call, one life can be saved,” he added.

Sueno said he is set to talk with President Duterte to make the same appeal.

The DILG said that the 911’s predecessor, emergency hotline Patrol 117, received an average of 57 hang and prank calls per hour in 2015 alone.

The DILG already expects a total of 2,730 hang and prank calls out of the anticipated 3,003 calls per hour for 911.

The use of 911 as the new Nationwide Emergency Hotline Number was made possible through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed between the DILG Secretary and telecommunications companies which allowed the change of the designated national emergency number.

Sueno said that while President Duterte has directed to make 911 free of charge, all calls to 911 will initially be shouldered by callers until a new memorandum of agreement has been signed by the agencies concerned and a new executive order has been issued by Duterte.

The DILG quoted retired General Eliseo Rio Jr. of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and consultant to Patrol 117 as saying that after August 1, the current 15 seats for the emergency hotline will increase to 30, and the existing 43 call center agents will increase to 90. JE