Philippines launches unified 911: One number for all emergencies

Beginning 11 September 2025, Filipinos facing emergencies will only need to dial 911. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced the rollout of Unified 911, a single hotline replacing more than 30 local emergency numbers nationwide. Officials said the move fulfills President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen family and community safety under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda.

For years, the Philippines relied on fragmented emergency hotlines, leaving callers unsure whom to contact and causing inconsistent response times. With Unified 911, every emergency call — whether for police, fire, medical, or disaster response — will be routed through a single integrated network linking the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and local governments.

“Unified 911 should not just be a hotline. It is a lifeline,” DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said. “Every second matters, every call matters, every life matters. This is government fulfilling its promise that help will always be within reach.”

The service is free, available 24/7, and designed to be language-sensitive, allowing calls in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Tausug, and other Philippine languages to be understood and acted upon. The target response time is five minutes, with call takers trained to reassure callers in crisis with a single message: “Help is on the way.”

The DILG emphasized that Unified 911 is more than a technical upgrade. It embodies the President’s view that public safety is the foundation of stronger communities. By uniting responders and cutting delays, officials said, the hotline gives families confidence that they are safer at home, on the streets, and in every barangay.

Unified 911 is the nation’s single number and the government’s single promise: when danger strikes, help will come.