The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has launched an investigation into the handling of an emergency 911 call following the death of a 71-year-old Taguig resident whose family initially reported severe dispatch delays and missing medical equipment.

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Sunday the inquiry was prompted by a viral social media post by the victim's son, Basti Askri, who recounted waiting nearly 10 minutes for a dispatcher to answer while his father suffered a medical emergency.

Askri wrote that when a dispatcher finally answered, he was put on hold while hearing background chatter and laughter.

He also alleged that the responding vehicle lacked an automated external defibrillator and that responders failed to take over CPR, forcing him to continue administering aid himself.

In a follow-up post Sunday, however, Askri issued a public apology for his emotional language and clarified that he could not confirm what equipment or personnel were present during the chaotic scene.

"Because everything happened so quickly, I cannot say for certain why some equipment or personnel were unavailable when they arrived," Askri wrote, adding that his family would no longer issue public statements while the official investigation is underway.

Contradictory accounts of the timeline have emerged between national officials and local authorities.

Remulla said 911 logs show the national call was received at 12:15 p.m. regarding a stroke patient and was relayed to the Taguig Command Center at 12:17 p.m., but follow-up inquiries at 4:57 p.m. and 5:56 p.m. yielded no confirmation that an ambulance had arrived, citing a possible shift handover failure.

In contrast, Taguig City officials said the call was received at 12:17 a.m. Saturday for a suspected heart attack in Maharlika Village. The city stated that dispatchers struggled to secure an exact address and that repeated return calls went unanswered.

Relatives eventually requested help directly from local barangay halls, leading to the deployment of a patient transport vehicle. The patient arrived at Taguig-Pateros District Hospital at 12:43 a.m. and was declared dead at 1:24 a.m. despite resuscitation efforts.

Taguig City officials said they are fully cooperating with the DILG investigation.