Institutionalizing the Emergency 911 Hotline

Emergency 911 National Program Structure

The Emergency 911 National Program consists of the following components (Section 2):
- a. A National Hotline Public Safety Answering Center (National Call Center) under the direction and control of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) (Section 2[a]).
- b. Primary Service Responders composed of:
  - 1. Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) as lead agency for fire suppression and emergency medical services, hazardous materials protection, and technical search and rescue services; and
  - 1. Philippine National Police (PNP) as lead agency for police assistance related to public safety and crime prevention (Section 2[b]).
- c. Major Support Service Responders composed of:
  - Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); Department of Health (DOH); Department of Transportation (DOTr); Armed Forces of the Philippines; National Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Immigration; Philippine Coast Guard; Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency; Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA); Local Government Units (LGUs); accredited non-government organizations (NGOs), hospital and medical institutions and facilities, public safety volunteers, and such other institutions and facilities recommended by the Emergency 911 Commission as defined under the Order (Section 2[c]).
- d. Local 911 call centers established by LGUs using their own funds, under the supervision of the National Call Center (Section 2[a]).
- e. Participation of existing private communication carriers and telecommunications companies, with integration and connectivity of subscriber calls to Emergency 911 (Section 2[d]).
The roles and functions of Primary and Major Support Service Responders are specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (Section 2).

Nationwide Connectivity and Integrated Channels

All private communication carriers and telecommunications companies must ensure and provide uninterrupted connectivity and integration of all calls made by their subscribers to the Emergency 911 Hotline (Section 2[d]).
The Emergency 911 Commission may set up other integrated and/or interconnected communication channels in addition to the Emergency 911 Hotline, such as short messaging service, online platform and social media (Section 2[e]).

Free Calls to Emergency 911

The Emergency 911 Commission must ensure that all calls made to the Emergency 911 Hotline are free of charge and without other fees (Section 3).

Emergency 911 Commission Composition

The PATROL “117” Commission created under Executive Order No. 226 and Administrative Order No. 36 is replaced by the Emergency 911 Commission (Section 4).
The Emergency 911 Commission serves as the policy-making body and overseer of the Emergency 911 National Program (Section 4).
The Commission is composed of:
- a. DILG Secretary as Chairperson (Section 4[a]);
- b. DICT Secretary as Vice Chairperson (Section 4[b]);
- c. Representatives of specified government agencies and organizations, with a rank not lower than Director IV or its equivalent, as members (Section 4[c]), including:
  - 1. Office of the President
  - 1. Department of Justice
  - 1. Department of National Defense
  - 1. Department of Social Welfare and Development
  - 1. DOH
  - 1. DOTr
  - 1. Presidential Communications Operations Office
  - 1. PNP
  - 1. NTC
  - 1. BFP
  - 1. MMDA (Section 4[c]);
- d. President of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Section 4[d]); and
- e. Two (2) other members for a term of two (2) years, selected by the Chairperson from the private sector upon recommendation of the Emergency 911 Commission (Section 4[e]).

Emergency 911 Commission Functions

The Emergency 911 Commission must provide policy direction and formulate guidelines for the implementation and supervision of the Emergency 911 National Program (Section 5[a]).
The Emergency 911 Commission must prepare and recommend to the President, through the Executive Secretary, policies, measures, thrusts, and solutions responsive to crime prevention and public order and safety issues (Section 5[b]).
The Emergency 911 Commission must submit to the President, through the Executive Secretary, a semi-annual report on implementation of the Order (Section 5[c]).
The Emergency 911 Commission must perform other duties and functions as directed by the President (Section 5[d]).

Emergency 911 National Office Setup

The existing PATROL “117” Development Office is renamed as the Emergency 911 National Office (Section 6).
The Emergency 911 National Office functions as the primary implementing office of the Emergency 911 National Program under the direction of the Emergency 911 Commission (Section 6).
The Emergency 911 National Office must be headed by an Executive Director with the rank of Director IV, appointed by the President upon recommendation of the DILG Secretary (Section 6).
The Emergency 911 Commission may establish Emergency 911 Regional Offices as necessary for effective implementation (Section 6).
The Emergency 911 National Office and, whenever necessary, its Regional Offices must have an organizational structure and staffing pattern appropriate to their functions and necessary for operability (Section 6).

National Office Functions and Secretariat Role

The Emergency 911 National Office must act as the Secretariat of the Emergency 911 Commission (Section 7[a]).
The Emergency 911 National Office must serve as the implementing arm of the Emergency 911 Commission in carrying out the objectives of the Order (Section 7[b]).
The Emergency 911 National Office must institutionalize localized networks of service responders upon the direction of the Emergency 911 Commission (Section 7[c]).
The Emergency 911 National Office must conduct reviews and readiness tests and monitor and evaluate response capabilities of various aspects of the Emergency 911 National Program (Section 7[d]).
The Emergency 911 National Office must develop and implement training programs for emergency communications personnel and responders (Section 7[e]).
The Emergency 911 National Office must process accreditation of NGOs, hospital and medical institutions and facilities, and other civic sector institutions, facilities, and volunteers in line with the objectives of the Order (Section 7[f]).
The Emergency 911 National Office must undertake other duties directed by the Emergency 911 Commission (Section 7[g]).

Government and Private Sector Participation

All government agencies and instrumentalities must provide necessary assistance for effective implementation, and LGUs are enjoined to provide necessary assistance as well (Section 8).
The private sector is encouraged to actively participate in whatever capacity in implementation and to advocate crime prevention, public order, and public safety (Section 9).

Fraudulent, Hoax, or Prank Reports

Fraudulent, hoax, or prank reports must be dealt with in accordance with existing and applicable laws, rules, regulations, and the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Order (Section 10).

Implementing Rules, Staffing, Funding

The DILG, with assistance of the other members of the Emergency 911 Commission, must formulate and issue the Implementing Rules and Regulations within sixty (60) days after issuance of the Order (Section 11).
The Emergency 911 National Office must review and modify its existing organizational structure and staffing pattern as necessary to carry out its functions effectively and efficiently, subject to approval by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) (Section 12).
Pending DBM approval and setup of the new structure and staffing pattern, the Emergency 911 National Office must retain all existing positions of the Patrol “117” Development Office (Section 12).
Initial funding requirements for implementation must be chargeable to the Fiscal Year 2018 budget of the 911 Emergency Services, and may be augmented upon recommendation of DBM (Section 13).
Appropriations for succeeding years must be incorporated in the budget proposal of the DILG (Section 13).
Operations of local 911 call centers established by LGUs must be chargeable to their respective budgets, subject to Section 3 (free of charge calls) (Section 13).
Service responders must shoulder their own expenses in support of the Emergency 911 National Program (Section 13).

Transition, Repeal, Separability, Effectivity

The members of the Patrol “117” Commission must ensure smooth and complete transition to the Emergency 911 Commission and the Emergency 911 National Office within sixty (60) days from effectivity, while ensuring delivery of Emergency 911 Hotline services is not disrupted due to transition (Section 14).
Pending approval of arrangements necessary for full implementation, existing rates and fees charged on calls to existing 911 platforms, if any, must continue to apply (Section 14).
Executive Order No. 226, Administrative Order No. 36, and all inconsistent issuances, orders, rules, regulations, or parts thereof are amended, repealed, or modified accordingly (Section 15).
If any provision is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions remain valid and subsisting (Section 16).
The Order takes effect immediately upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation (Section 17).
The Order is dated May 25, 2018 and is signed by RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE with MICHAEL P. ONG as Acting Executive Secretary (date/signature and effectivity framework; Section 17).