Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said Saturday that the PNP marked the first anniversary of the nationwide Unified 911 emergency response system, with 86,614 calls recorded during its first year and 96.38 percent of these responded to within the five-minute benchmark.

Launched nationwide on Sept. 11, 2025, Unified 911 is one of the flagship programs of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under the leadership of Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” C. Remulla. The system provides the public with a single emergency access point and has since expanded to nine command centers nationwide, strengthening the reach and coordination of emergency response services.

From Aug. 1, 2025, to Aug. 31, 2026, Unified 911 recorded 494,338 emergency service calls. Of these, 132,232, or 26.74 percent, were classified as legitimate calls, while the remaining calls were categorized as prank calls, other calls or calls requiring different handling.

The call data showed 223,253 prank calls, 138,853 calls classified under others, 80,247 calls responded to, 36,995 requests for medical assistance and 14,990 fire-related incidents. The figures underscore the volume and variety of concerns being coursed through the national emergency system, as well as the continuing need for responsible use of the 911 service.

For calls recorded as incidents in the PNP's response monitoring, 86,614 calls were documented across regional police offices and units during the same reporting period. Of these, 96.38 percent were responded to within five minutes, while 3,077 responses exceeded the five-minute benchmark.

Among the incident calls, public order disturbances accounted for the largest share at 29,746, followed by 21,615 traffic-related incidents and 15,517 other law enforcement and judicial matters. The system also recorded 10,637 public safety and emergency response calls, 4,484 involving crimes against persons and 3,690 involving crimes against property, aside from calls involving firearms and violence, illegal drugs and illegal gambling.

For Nartatez, the figures underscore the importance of maintaining a response system that is accessible to the public and capable of connecting emergency concerns to the appropriate responders.

“For us in the PNP, 911 is not simply a number that people dial. It is a commitment that when someone reaches out for help, there is a system ready to receive that call and connect it to the people who can respond,” Nartatez said. “One year and more than 86,000 calls later, our task is clear: we have to keep making the system faster, more accessible, and more dependable. Dapat ramdam ng ating mga kababayan na may tutugon kapag sila ay nangangailangan.”

The continuing development of Unified 911 is aligned with the PNP Focused Agenda, particularly through Enhanced Managing Police Operations (EMPO), which strengthens real-time communication, coordination and police response. It likewise supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s thrust for more accessible, responsive and people-centered government services.