Gatchalian wants LGU active involvement in 911 emergency services

Senator Win Gatchalian said he wants local government units to be actively involved in the implementation of the Philippine National Police's (PNP) 911 emergency service.

"This is a dream for all local government units in the country as well as for our constituents to have a singular emergency number that's easy to remember and to dial that will enable direct access to police, medics, firemen, and other local government services," said Gatchalian, during a Senate hearing on the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies.

"Getting the call is one thing but responding to that call is most important. How fast can we respond from the time we get the call? That's the most important and we can only respond promptly if the local governments are involved in the 911 activity," he stressed.

Gatchalian specifically asked the DILG to provide a road map that would lead the country to having comprehensive 911 emergency services coverage. "Give us a roadmap. What is important here is not only getting and receiving the calls but how we can send the message from the sick man on the street to the ambulance in the hospital. The response time needs to be shortened to give the service that our constituents need at that point," he emphasized.

Gatchalian added that the country should aspire to having 911 emergency services similar to that provided in the United States. "That's an aspiration for all of us, especially in the realm of peace and order," the senator said.

According to DILG Undersecretary Lord Villanueva, however, the 911 services have only been able to establish 22 local call centers which were set up and funded by various LGUs.

Villanueva disclosed that the country's 911 emergency services receive an average of 60,000 calls daily. The DILG is unable to scale up its 911 emergency services due to budgetary constraints. For instance, the DILG has been allocated only a budget of P26 million for 911 emergency services last year. For this year, the agency was also allotted P26 million for the program, Villanueva added.

Gatchalian hinimok ang aktibong partisipasyon ng LGUs sa 911 emergency services

Sinabi ni Senador Win Gatchalian na nais niyang maging aktibo sa paglahok ang mga local government unit (LGU) sa pagpapatupad ng 911 emergency service ng Philippine National Police (PNP).

"Ito ay isang pangarap para sa lahat ng local government units sa bansa gayundin para sa ating mga nasasakupan na magkaroon ng isang emergency number na madaling tandaan at tawagan na magbibigay-daan sa direktang access sa pulisya, medic, bumbero, at maging ang ibang serbisyo ng lokal na pamahalaan," ani Gatchalian, sa nagdaang pagdinig ng Senado sa panukalang 2024 budget ng Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) at mga kalakip na ahensya nito.

"Ang pagtanggap ng tawag ay isang bagay ngunit ang pagtugon sa tawag na iyon ang pinakamahalaga. Gaano kabilis tayo makakasagot mula sa oras na makatanggap tayo ng tawag? Iyon ang pinakamahalaga at makakatugon lamang tayo kaagad kung ang mga lokal na pamahalaan ay aktibo sa 911," diin niya.

Partikular na hiniling ni Gatchalian sa DILG na magbigay ng isang road map na magdadala sa bansa sa pagkakaroon ng komprehensibong 911 emergency services coverage. "Bigyan nyo kami ng roadmap. Ang mahalaga dito ay hindi lamang ang pagtanggap ng mga tawag kundi kung paano natin maipapadala ang mensahe mula sa mga maysakit na nasa kalye hanggang sa ambulansya sa ospital. Ang oras ng pagtugon ay kailangang paikliin para mabigyan ng agarang serbisyo ang mga kababayan nating nangangailangan ng tulong," diin niya.

Sinabi rin ni Gatchalian na pilitin nating magkaroon ng 911 emergency services tulad ng 911 services sa Amerika. "Iyan ay isang adhikain para sa ating lahat, lalo na sa larangan ng kapayapaan at kaayusan," sabi ng senador.

Ayon kay DILG Undersecretary Lord Villanueva, ang 911 services sa bansa ay nakapagtatag lamang ng 22 local call centers na itinayo at pinondohan ng iba't ibang LGUs.

Ibinunyag ni Villanueva na ang 911 emergency services ng bansa ay tumatanggap ng average na 60,000 tawag araw-araw. Hindi kayang palakihin ng DILG ang 911 na serbisyong pang-emergency nito dahil kulang sa pondo. Halimbawa, ang DILG ay naglaan lamang ng P26 milyong pondo para sa 911 emergency services noong nakaraang taon. Para sa taong ito, parehong pondo din ang inilaan ng ahensya para sa programa, dagdag ni Villanueva.