The government’s 911 emergency hotline now delivers quicker and more efficient responses with the implementation of advanced technology, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said.
“Before, we did it manually. Now, because of technology, the actions become faster,” DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos told reporters after a simulation at Camp Crame’s command center on Friday
“It’s important that the call is being forwarded swiftly and then the location of the caller anywhere in the Philippines is being forwarded swiftly as well,” he added.
During the simulation, police were able to respond in approximately 56 seconds from the time a 911 call was placed.
E911 National Call Center’s Bernard delos Santos said with new technology, the hotline team is also able to filter prank and spam calls.
The center’s data showed only 500 of the 50,000 calls received in the past were legitimate.
“With the new system, all those spams or prank callers, these can be identified and located because of the capabilities of the new system (with) GPS,” Delos Santos said.
“Consistent prank callers can now be tagged,” he added.
The DILG said Next Generation Advanced 911 (NGA 911), an emergency calling technology company, and telecommunications firm PLDT Inc. have donated advanced technology features to enhance the country’s emergency hotline.
The upgrades included precise caller location services, advanced mapping and incident management systems, data analytics, video streaming, omni-channel messaging, and the integration of body and vehicle cameras for emergency response.
Ishka Villacisneros of NGA 911 said the aim was to match the high standards of emergency hotline response practiced in the United States.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said the government plans to expand the 911 emergency hotline system by connecting more local government units and state agencies.
