DILG records 5.2 million calls to 911 from January to April
More than 5 million calls were made to the Philippines' Unified 911 Emergency Hotline in the first quarter of the year, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
In a statement, the agency stated that data from the Emergency 911 National Call Center showed that 5,251,754 calls were handled from January to April this year. This makes the average of each month reach more than 1 million.
The DILG highlighted that this reflects the "growing public trust in the country’s emergency response system."
Notably, the department observed a decline in prank and fraudulent calls following recent system upgrades for blocking AI-generated and automated prank calls.
The DILG detailed that the hotline was primarily used by the public during "the most difficult moments of their lives." These include road accidents, suicide attempts, medical emergencies, and more.
"Sa oras ng panganib at sakuna, nakasandig ang publiko sa 911. Patunay ito na mas maraming Pilipino na ang nagtitiwala sa kakayahan ng pamahalaan na magbigay ng agarang responde sa oras ng emergency," the agency said.
They also reminded the public to immediately dial 911 during emergencies requiring police, fire, medical, rescue, or other urgent assistance, stressing that "early reporting can help responders act faster and save lives."
The Unified 911 Hotline was established in 2018 through Executive Order No. 56. However, it was only officially rolled out nationwide in September last year.
It aims to ensure faster coordination and assistance during critical situations by creating a single hotline number that connects the public to police, fire, medical, and disaster response services.