THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced a major milestone in public safety communications, reporting that prank and fraudulent calls to the Unified 911 Hotline have dropped sharply from 60% in 2024 to just 0.17% this year. This remarkable turnaround followed the system upgrades implemented last September.
During the 24th Emergency 911 Commission Conference, it was reported to DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla that the upgraded Unified 911 system successfully handled 872,586 of 884,809 calls from September 8 to 24, achieving a 98.62% efficiency rate. Of these, only 1,495 were prank calls, while 12,223 were dropped or abandoned.
The sharp decline is largely credited to the modernization of the system, which now includes geolocation tracking capability and an active caller directory that deprioritizes repeat prank callers and improves caller verification.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) also reported a 400% increase in legitimate 911 calls requesting police assistance, rising from 4,634 to 19,761, all of which received proper response. The PNP likewise noted a significant reduction in prank calls across the country.
Remulla has repeatedly reminded the public to use the hotline responsibly, warning that prank calls can delay or block life-saving emergency response. He also underscored the need to link the National ID and SIM registration systems to deter fraudulent or prank calls.
“Success rate, for me, is reaching the point of emergency,” he said, as he urged the Emergency 911 Commission to regularly assess its response performance to further enhance efficiency.
The DILG continues to expand the Unified 911 system through partnerships with the Department of Health (DOH) to integrate the TED and BED dashboards and with the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) to connect the MAKABATA 1383 helpline.
This milestone, Remulla said, reflects the government’s commitment to deliver a public service that works when it matters most, in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for a faster, smarter, and more compassionate Bagong Pilipinas.
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