BERNOS CALLS FOR LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE INTEGRATION INTO 911

Local integration is crucial to Unified 911’s success.

House Committee on Public Order and Safety vice chairperson and Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos urged local government units to integrate their own emergency response systems into the Unified 911 Emergency Hotline to help avoid confusion and address lapses in the system.

“We need complete buy-in from LGUs if Unified 911 is to succeed. Ang mangyayari kasi kung hindi integrated ang local emergency response sa Unified 911, magkakaroon ng duplication sa serbisyo.”

“Malilito rin ang tao kung kanino sila dudulog sa oras ng sakuna,” said Bernos.

The Unified 911 Emergency Hotline is the country’s centralized network, linking the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and LGUs, and providing 24/7 assistance anywhere in the Philippines.

The lawmaker batted for Unified 911’s ease of recall, as “three digits are much easier to memorize and saves people the hassle of having to find the number of their LGU’s emergency command center.”

He also called for continued cooperation and coordination among agencies and LGUs so the system could respond to emergencies more efficiently and effectively.

“This is a new system, and understandably there will be growing pains. That is why it is necessary that all public order and safety stakeholders work together to improve it,” Bernos said.

He underlined the need for proper funding to ensure that Unified 911’s capacity is strengthened, such as through the hiring of call-takers to reduce queue times, along with heavy investments in necessary technology.

According to the DILG, Unified 911 currently handles an average of about 70,000 calls daily.