THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) formally launched on Thursday, September 11, 2025, the unified 911 emergency hotline, which will be available in all regions across the country.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla led the launch of Unified 911, a single hotline that replaces hundreds of emergency numbers of local governments and various agencies such as the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Unified 911 consolidates emergency access to police, fire, medical, and disaster response, reducing delays and confusion caused by fragmented hotlines.
"We had 35 LGUs with their own numbers, we had the PNP, we had the BFP. We also had another 200 numbers. Then we have 40,000 barangays, where constituents would call first the barangay captain for help before they would call the BFP, the PNP, or any other response center. With the Philippines already being a very complicated country, it even became more complicated with the emergency response," Remulla said.
“Today, we have one number and that is 911,” he added.
Remulla said calling the 911 hotline is free, available 24/7, and language-sensitive, designed to understand and respond to calls in Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Tausug, and other Philippine languages.
The hotline targets a five-minute response, with trained call takers ready to assist and calm callers in crisis. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)