Government hotlines get more prank calls than legitimate emergencies

The country’s emergency hotline 911 was officially launched this morning. It logged almost 2,500 calls in its first 7 hours, but had an alarmingly high number of dropped and prank calls.

 

CHANGE HAS BEGUN. Emergency services would have been within easy reach, if not for the sheer volume of dropped and prank calls. Photo grabbed from Presidential Communications Operation Office Facebook page

 

In a report from news website GMA News Online, the 911 hotline received 1,119 drop calls, 304 prank calls, and only 75 calls with legitimate concerns.

According to a report from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa warned prank callers to the hotline. “We are currently tracking the prank callers and we will make sure that you will be unmasked,” he said.

He also appealed to Filipinos to “refrain from making prank calls or test calls to our 911 hotline because this will clog up the lines and prevent the people with real emergencies to reach us.”

Dela Rosa also directed all Police Chiefs in the country to “be alert and respond to the calls routed to you by our 911 call center and to immediately provide police assistance to our people when needed.”

 

ALL THREE WILL RESPOND SOON. For now, the PNP will be the initial respondents to any calls routed to their area. Image grabbed from 911 Philippines Facebook page

 

The national emergency hotline may still be in its infancy, but in time, it will respond to all forms of emergency. For now, initial respondents to calls made to the 911 hotline will be members of the PNP, according to a report from news website Inquirer.net. In time, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the BFP – Emergency Medical Service will also respond to calls made to 911.

Callers can expect a response from any of these agencies within 5-10 minutes after making the call, depending on the nature of the emergency and traffic conditions.

 

Source: GMA News Online, Philippine Information Agency, Inquirer.net