Any resident of Catanduanes with a phone can now dial 911 in calling for assistance from emergency responders from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, , local government units and other partner agencies
This was stressed by the Catanduanes Police Provincial Office when asked about the coverage of the Unified 911 Emergency Hotline recently launched by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Rolled out last Sept. 11, 2025, the Unified 911 replaced more than 30 local emergency numbers and answers President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen family and community safety under Bagong Pilipinas.
With Unified 911, every emergency call, whether for police, fire, medical, or disaster response, will now be routed through a single, integrated network linking the PNP, BFP, BJMP, and LGUs.
“Unified 911 should not just be a hotline. It is a lifeline,” said DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla. “Every second matters, every call matters, every life matters. This is government fulfilling its promise that help will always be within reach.”
The service is free, available 24/7, and designed to be language-sensitive so calls in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Tausug, and other Philippine languages can be understood and acted upon.
The target response time is five minutes, with call takers trained to reassure callers in crisis with a single assurance: “Help is on the way.”
By cutting delays and uniting responders, officials said, the hotline is a tangible step toward giving families confidence that they are safer in their homes, on the streets, and in every barangay
Last week, the DILG disclosed that the Unified 911 system seet a groundbreaking standard for emergency response in the country, achieving 94.42% efficiency on its first day of operation.
It said that on the first day of the rollout, the Emergency 911 National Call Center received 60,323 calls, of which 57,786 were successfully handled, resulting in a 94.42% efficiency rate. Only 3,537 calls were identified as test, abandoned, or prank calls.
The DILG pointed out that the notable improvement of 911’s efficiency rating is not due to a decrease in demand, but rather to a vastly improved response framework, as the call center has consistently handled around 61,000 calls per day.
It further stressed that the 94.42% efficiency on Day One highlights how the new system is already making a measurable impact on the speed and accuracy of emergency responses.
This significant improvement stands in stark contrast to previous years. In 2024, the call center managed just 48.33% of the 22.3 million calls received.
By early 2025, upgrades to the system had increased the efficiency rate to 70.71%, which further improved to 94.42% on launch day. This reflects the effectiveness of upgrades, demonstrating a sharp rise in both system capacity and operational coordination.
Earlier, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla issued a stern warning against prank calls to the newly rolled-out Unified 911 Emergency Hotline, saying that those who misuse the system will face immediate consequences, including deprioritization of their future calls.
“Kapag prank call ka, ma-archive na ang number mo. Last priority. Kasi kailangan may disincentive yung mga prank callers. So, kung nanloko ka sa amin, di ka na makakatawag,” he said, appealing to the public to act responsibly and think twice before misusing the emergency system.
To ensure that no genuine emergencies are missed, the DILG is implementing verification protocols, especially for dropped or unclear calls. These may include follow-ups by local police or barangay officials to check the situation on the ground.