Emergency 911 and Hotline 8888 to Operate Nationwide Starting on August 1, 2016

The world's most popular emergency number 911 will be operational in the Philippines under the Duterte administration starting on August 1, 2016. Aside from the Emergency Hotline 911, the national government also ordered to start the operation of Complaint Hotline 8888.

Based upon the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the major telecommunications company in the Philippines the operations of the Hotline 911 and Hotline 8888 starts on August 1, 2016.

In order to ensure that the Emergency Hotline 911 worked, DILG Sec. Ismael "Mike" Sueno tested the new number by using a landline and cellular phone. The Interior Secretary was able to find out how fast help can be dispatched with Emergency 911.

The DILG already announced to various local government units that people in emergencies should call 911 instead of the previous 117 emergency number.

According to the DILG the use of the use of 911 as the new nationwide emergency hotline number was done after President Rodrigo Duterte said the emergency hotline should be “accessible to all Filipinos at any telephone beginning August 1.”

During the previous Emergency 117 System of DILG, there were 15 seats, 43 call center agents, and a database of Philippine National Police (PNP) units including their mobile, local government units and emergency numbers and teleconference capability.

Under the Duterte administration's Emergency 911, there will be 30 seats and 90 call center agents, as revealed by retired General Eliseo Rio Jr., of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

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