DAVAO CITY, Philippines -Davao City’s Central 911, the city government’s unit that responds to medical emergencies, appeals to the public to refrain from making prank calls on their hotline and monitor their children who dial the number out of curiosity.
Lyndon Leovic Ancajas, acting head of the Law Enforcement, Communication, and Rescue Division (LECRD) and training supervisor of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said that of the 1,000 calls that the hotline receives in a day, only 10% are considered legitimate emergencies.
Ancajas said that the hotline has limited capacity, and if all lines are filled with unimportant or prank calls, incoming calls of actual emergencies are forced to wait and delay their immediate response.
“Again, we are asking everyone to please ayaw ninyo binuangi ang (don’t play around with) 911, (because our) calls are limited per moment,” Ancajas said during the City Government’s iSpeak Media Forum last June 26.
Ancajas advised families to educate children from avoiding making these calls, which are activated in cellular phones within the Davao City area.
He warned that they are monitoring certain callers who repeatedly make false reports and may block certain numbers from their system for frequent prank calls.
If the 911 system would block these numbers, these individuals would be unable to access emergency services even during real emergencies.
He said the City Council is also being consulted on ways to address the issue legally and systematically.
Despite the challenges, Ancajas noted that Central 911 has improved its average response time to 3 to 5 minutes, thanks to the strategic deployment of mobile patrol units and strengthened coordination with the police force.
He reminded the public to call 911 only during actual emergencies or when they have direct knowledge of one, and to provide complete and accurate details to enable effective response.(davaotoday.com)
