Unified 911 Hotline speeds upemergency response

The government’s Unified 911 hotline is accelerating emergency coordination to save lives following a surge in road accidents nationwide, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Monday.

In line with a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize public safety, the DILG reported that the centralized system has streamlined the dispatch of police and medical teams to vehicular incidents.

The government recorded 1,113 road crashes following the recent holiday rush, many of which required rapid intervention through the National Call Center.

Recent successful interventions include a rescue in North Cotabato, where Makilala police personnel extracted a driver after his 10-wheeler truck plummeted off a cliff. The victim was transported to a municipal hospital for treatment.

In Alitagtag, Batangas, police responded to a collision between a motorcycle and a car during a pursuit operation. Officers provided immediate medical transport for two injured individuals after the car fled the scene.

Over at Biñan City, Laguna, responders administered first aid to a pedestrian struck by a public utility jeepney.

The push for a more robust 911 system follows a call from Marcos last year for stronger road safety measures. The call was prompted by high-profile accidents at the SCTEX toll plaza and NAIA Terminal 1 that left 12 people dead.