NEGROS Island Region (NIR) Police stations are already receiving calls from its central office upon the activation of 911 hotline on August 1.
Superintendent Moises Villaceran Jr., head of Police Community Relations Division of Police Regional Office (PRO)-NIR, said 911 calls received by the central office are being relayed directly to police stations for quick responses to incidents in localities.
Villaceran said some police stations in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and Negros Oriental already received calls, but they have yet to determine the number of calls that were officially recorded and were responded by policemen.
He added that calls being relayed by the central office no longer pass the provincial, city, and regional offices instead go directly to concerned authorities.
The activation of 911 hotline can improve the response efforts of authorities in cases of emergency or crime incidents, Villaceran said.
Aaron Bais, officer-in-charge of Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), said that as of Thursday, they have yet to receive calls from the 911 central office for quick response to emergency cases in the city.
Even if the local hotline for emergency in the city is 117, responders are advised to follow the new system of replying as 911 hotline responders or callers.
Despite the activation of the 911 hotline, Bais said same system still follows in localities, adding that everyone has the same goal which is to quickly respond to those who need help.
There are no changes in the emergency procedures and operations of the 117 emergency response team in the city, he added.