MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte’s anti-graft and corruption hotline received close to 5,000 calls in the first month of operation.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC), which is handling Hotline 8888, said a total of 4,848 calls were received from Aug. 1 to 26.
Of the number, 707 are related to the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) violations, mostly concerning slow process, failure to act on requests, unclear procedures, discourtesy and fixing activities.
The CSC said it started receiving calls during the launch of 8888 at 12:01 a.m. of Aug. 1.
Records show the first caller complained about a decision of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on a case she filed, and which she wanted reopened.
The CSC, through the Public Assistance and Information Office (PAIO), manages Hotline 8888 in support of President Duterte’s order to establish a 24-hour national citizens’ complaint hotline, where the public can report corruption and inefficiency in government.
Calling 8888 through PLDT and Smart landline is free of charge. Smart, Talk ‘n Text and Sun cellular charge regular air time rates, while Globe and TM charge P5 on top of its regular air time rates.
The CSC advised the public to use landlines and make conversations brief and direct to the point by providing vital details such as name, name of agency being complained about and details of the complaint.
Complaints will be referred for immediate action to concerned agencies, which are expected to respond within five working days.
Hotline 8888 agents will update callers of the agency’s response or action on the complaints.
The public has been advised to only lodge legitimate concerns to Hotline 8888 and not to use it for prank calls.
The CSC has been running the Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB) since 2012, which currently services the Hotline 8888.
The CCB is a contact center facility that serves as a sumbungan ng bayan or public feedback mechanism of the government based on the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.
It was conferred the Philippine Quill Award in 2014.