THE Davao City Central 911 reported that the technical issue affecting its services has been resolved, following a brief disruption that made it difficult for the office to receive calls on October 31.
“Central 911 hotline is now able to receive incoming calls from all networks! Thank you for your patience and understanding,” the office wrote in its post around 9:48 p.m. of October 31, 2025.
Earlier, at around 8:40 p.m. of the same day, the office raised concerns over its inability to receive calls from all networks. It said its technical team was closely coordinating with telecommunications companies to find a solution to the problem.
The office also advised the public to call the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) Operations Center at 285-8984 or 0968-571-7236 for emergencies during the outage.
Residents were further reminded that they could contact their respective Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (BDRRMCs) for immediate assistance. The office added that it would post an update once the issue was resolved and apologized for the inconvenience it had caused.
Central 911 receives about 1,000 calls daily
According to Central 911, the office receives around 1,000 calls daily — but only about 100 of these are legitimate emergency calls.
Many of the calls are prank calls, silent calls, or made by children out of curiosity. Some kids, the office noted, dial 911 just to see if it really works.
The office warned that repeat prank callers will be flagged and blocked by the system. Once blocked, even in a real emergency, they will no longer be able to reach 911. Central 911 also said it is working with local legislators to address the issue of frequent prank calls.
The office urged the public not to misuse the 911 hotline, emphasizing that the system can only handle a limited number of calls at a time.
It explained that if someone dials 911 and the line just rings, it likely means all 10 lines are currently occupied. If you are the 11th caller, you will need to wait until a line becomes available.
Establishment of 911 in the city
Davao City’s 911 was launched in 2002 under then-mayor and former President Rodrigo Duterte, modeled after the U.S. 911 system. It centralized police, medical, rescue, and K9 services into a single hotline for faster and more coordinated responses.
The system currently operates five substations in Baganihan, Calinan, Toril, Panacan, and Cabantian, with plans to expand to Lasang and Malabog.
In 2016, Central 911 served as the model for the National Emergency Hotline and has since earned multiple recognitions, including the Gawad Kalasag Hall of Fame Award in 2024, the highest honor for LGUs in disaster risk reduction and emergency response. RGP