Unified 911 emergency call system to partially roll out in July: DILG

There will be a partial roll-out of the unified 911 emergency call system in July, according to the Department of Interior and Local Government.

In a press briefing on May 26, DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla said they'll get the special allotment release order this week, and is expected to be done within six to eight weeks' time.

“In less than one month, i-bid out natin ang unified 911 system para sa buong Pilipinas," he said. "Ngayon kasi 35 ang emergency call numbers. Gagawin nating centralized na siya."

The system, to be managed by the DILG, will first be rolled out in the Ilocos Region, Metro Manila, Central Visayas, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Provinces in the Greater Manila Area—Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal—will also be included.

"Tapos every month all the regions," Remulla said.

The secretary noted that the unified 911 system will include geolocation tools, live-streaming capabilities, as well as integration of police, fire, and medical services.

He said it's only the police responding to emergency calls, and fire responders and paramedics are nowhere.

"Ito (unified 911 system)," Remulla said, "integrated na ang public safety system ng buong Pilipinas, ang response system."

In 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order making 911 the nationwide emergency number, replacing Patrol 117. It became operational in 2020.

Under the DILG's supervision, local governments were tasked to establish and run local 911 centers within their area of jurisdiction using their own funds.

Last August 2024, the DILG partnered with the private tech firm, Next Generation Advanced 911, to "revitalize" the country's emergency call system.