911 designated as nationwide emergency hotline

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order setting telephone number 911 as the new emergency hotline number for crime prevention, public order and public safety.

EO 56 institutionalizes emergency 911 hotline as the nationwide emergency answering point, replacing the current Patrol 117 Hotline Network. The order was signed Monday but the copy was only released to media Friday.

The EO also designates the Emergency 911 Commission as the policy-making body and the overseer of the Emergency 911 National Program, replacing the Patrol 117 Commission.

All calls made to the new hotline will be free of charge. Primary responders to the 911 calls will be the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

“There is a need to change Patrol 117 Hotline Network to Emergency 911 Hotline Number to conform with international standards on emergency numbers for public telecommunications network,” the EO read.

The National Call Center will be under the direction and control of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Local government units are urged to establish local 911 call centers using their own funds.  

Telephone number 911 had been assigned in 2016 as the national hotline number through a memorandum by the National Telecommunications Commission.

Launching 911 as the emergency response hotline nationwide was one of the president’s campaign promise, modeled after Davao City’s 911.

In 2016, he also launched 8888 hotline, which is used for concerns or complaints of citizens and will be relayed to the proper government agencies.