Unified 911 goes live: One number, faster response

A language-sensitive single hotline, the nationwide Unified 911, designed to respond to calls in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Tausug, and other Philippine dialects, was officially launched Thursday by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Held at PLDT’s office in Sampaloc, Manila — the hotline’s service provider — DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla led the ceremony, guided by President Marcos Jr.’s directive to enhance family and community safety with a target of responding to calls nationwide within five minutes.

PLDT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manny Pangilinan also attended the event.

Free of charge, the system, according to Remulla, is available 24/7 and staffed by trained call takers ready to calm and assist callers in crisis.

Unified 911 consolidates emergency access — including police, fire, medical, or disaster response — into one number and a unified system that reduces delays and confusion caused by fragmented hotlines.

This partnership with agencies like PNP, BFP, BJMP, and local government units, he added, aims to operate and continuously improve the network and response protocols.

“We had 35 LGUs with their own numbers, we had the PNP, we had the BFP. We have the other 200 numbers then we have 40k barangays, where the constituents would call first the barangay captain to call for help before they would call the BFP or the PNP or any other response center. So with the Philippines being a very complicated country, it even became more complicated with the emergency response,” Remulla said.

He also emphasized that Unified 911 is more than just a technical reform; it gives families confidence that they are safer at home, in the streets, and in every barangay if delays and response times are minimized.

“Congress hates the Senate... Senate hates the Congress... Congress hates the cabinet... cabinet hates the Congress, Today, we work, today, we show that it is possible that the Philippines can have a unified system to respond to people’s needs,” he stressed.

Remulla added: “When people doubt the government and they see their paychecks and they see withholding tax and say 'where does my money go' and they show a table with a billion pesos there to be distributed to the corrupt politicians, they ask 'is this where my money goes'?"