THE unified 911 Emergency System, which will soon be launched by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, will include a helpdesk for mental health concerns, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
In a press conference, Remulla said the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) will deploy trained professionals to take calls and provide psychosocial support.
He said one desk in the 911 command center will be designated for mental health intervention.
“Out of 50,000 calls a day ang capacity, we anticipate maybe two percent tungkol sa mental health ang tatawag dyan,” Remulla said.
“Mayroon kaming counselors na kung may nararamdaman ang ating kabataan, o alam n’yong may nararamdaman kayo, pwedeng tawagan at mayroong pwedeng rumesponde,” he added.
(We have counselors available. If our youth are experiencing something, or if you know you’re going through something, you can call them and someone will be ready to respond.)
Remulla said they will invest in communication equipment, police vehicles, and fire trucks to boost the response time of first responders.
The DILG, together with the Philippine National Police (PNP), is expected to roll out the unified 911 emergency system nationwide by August or September.
He said the existing local emergency hubs will be tapped to serve as dispatch centers to help ensure the efficiency of the system.
Aside from mental health-related concerns, the 911 system will accept reports on crime, health emergencies, fire incidents, and other suspicious activity. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)