Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) Assistant Head Rudy Encabo revealed on Wednesday that the Davao City’s 911 emergency hotline has been experiencing difficulties in efficiently receiving and routing calls.
Encabo explained that while prank calls and technical issues were the primary challenges in the past, the system is now facing routing problems.
He said local calls from Davao residents are sometimes mistakenly directed to Manila, while calls from Luzon and Visayas occasionally land in Davao 911, causing delays in responding to emergencies.
He noted that this issue may have coincidentally started around the time former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III launched the Dial 911 system in Manila last year.
“Before, our main problem was nonsense callers or prank calls. But starting last year, nakahatag ug challenge sa amo on how to come up or other alternative, seguro coincidence lang sa pag launch sa 911 ni Torre (Dial 911) nagka problema nami karon sa receiving calls sa 911. One thing is naay mutawag na caller example taga Davao ang mudawat karon ang Manila, pagtawag sa Manila nituyok na pud diri sa 911 Davao ang tendency ma-trapik siya kay naa ma’y pending calls nga taga local so nagatuyok siya. Hangtud madugay ug how many hours sige ug ring dinha pa mi, meaning dili siya direct namo nga ma-receive sa atoang emergency call sa Davao 911 kay mutuyok siya,” he said during the Davao peace and Security Press Corps media briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Encabo added that prepaid numbers often face connectivity issues, while landlines and postpaid numbers remain more reliable.
To address these challenges, the CDRRMO is developing a new digital solution.
Encabo said this prompted the CDRRMO to develop a new digital solution.
He explained that hopefully this year the concept and blueprint for the app will be ready for purchase and within six months, they plan to work on it and conduct pilot testing.
He said the app will function like Messenger-if your data is on, you can use the app to contact the CDRRMO, and when you dial, your real-time coordinates will be captured along with a map showing your location.
“Kung mugawas kana sa jurisdictional map sa Davao kuhaon namo imong data kung unsang response imong kinahanglan. Madayon ni karong tuiga mao na ni atong platform/app nga tawagan sa taga Davao,” Encabo said.
The new platform aims to improve response times, enhance incident tracking, and integrate geospatial and digital mapping technology into the city’s emergency services.
This initiative aligns with an ordinance passed last year, authored by Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, chair of the Committee on Information Technology. Known as the Davao Smart Emergency Response and Locator System-Computerized Response and Emergency Dispatch (SERAL-CARED), the system will enable responders to reach callers’ locations accurately using real-time GPS tracking.
The ordinance seeks to reduce emergency response time, improve incident tracking, and introduce a GPS-enabled, geospatially integrated, digitally coordinated platform for faster, more efficient dispatch and precise caller location mapping.
“Gipasalamatan namo ang commitee ni Councilor Bonz Andre Militar kay naa ta ana nga bag-ong ordinance,” Encabo said.
