A phone operator monitors emergency calls at the Tagbilaran City Command Center. | CDN Digital photo / Doris C. Bongcac
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Tagbilaran City in Bohol is the first locality in the island province and in the Visayas to activate emergency hotline 911.
The hotline integrates all the other hotlines that the local government earlier used to ensure faster response and data accuracy, according to Emmanuel Supremo, emergency unit supervisor of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO).
Supremo said that the use of the E911 hotline is also cost efficiency because it would be internet based and would not require cellphone load.
Tagbilaran 911 was officially launched on Friday, April 25, and is based at the city’s command center in Brgy. Dampas.
Marko Emmanuel Longjas, research and planning division head, said that their E911 service was geofenced, which means that was limited only for use by city residents.
Calls that are made outside of Tagbilaran City will be directed to the E911 hotline that is managed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and will later on be referred to the concerned local government unit.
Longjas said that the launch of their E911 hotline cost P6 million. It was part of the Tagbilaran City Government’s disaster preparedness and response initiatives.
Emmanuel Supremo, emergency unit supervisor of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO), explains how they monitor the situation on the streets with the help of the 497 city-installed cameras. | CDN Digital photo / Doris C. Bongcac
Yellow phone
The Tagbilaran CDRRMO was established in 2017 and was placed under the office of the mayor. Three years later, it became a department at City Hall.
Longjas said that through the years, various innovations were introduced which made them also earn various recognitions for the best practices.
The yellow phone found outside of the Taloto National High School. | CDN Digital photo / Doris C. Bongcac
One of their best practices is the use of the yellow phone, a local innovation that will especially allow vulnerable sectors, to reach the city’s command center the soonest possible time.
Tagbilaran City has a total of 14 yellow phones that are located in accident prone and high density areas. One of which is outside of the national high school in Brgy. Taloto.
When using the yellow phones, there is no need to dial an emergency number. When you pickup the handset, a city-designated telephone operator will automatically talk to the caller to ask about his/her concerns.
Each of the designated areas for the yellow phones also have CCTVs that will allow the command center to especially monitor prank callers and vandals.
Tagbilaran E911
Then, came the city’s E911 system.
Longjas said that they were granted permission by DILG to operate the system 24/7 after they complied with requirements that included the availability of the needed facility, equipment, protocols, personnel, and training among others.
Callers have to dial the number using their mobile of landline phones free of charge.
“Kun libre ang Tawag dili na managana ang caller nga mahurot ang iyang load,” Longjas said.
(If the call is free of charge you will no longer hesitate to call and consume your load.)
After dialing the number, a phone operator on the other end of the line will say, “Tagbilaran City 911” and ask for the callers concern.
In most cases, the operator will speak in the dialect to facilitate better communication with the caller. In the event that a caller is a foreign national, they will then have to speak using the English language.
Global emergency network
Supremo said that the command center would normally receive 13 emergency calls per day, mostly concerning medical and trauma emergencies caused by vehicular accidents. This still does not include calls for patient transport.
The standard response time is between three to five minutes.
“As your first woman mayor, I am honored to lead a city that is now smarter, safer, and more responsive — ready to save lives with just one call. 
,” Mayor Jane Yap said in an advisory that was posted on her social media page.
“Tagbilaran is now part of a global emergency response network, because our people deserve no less than the best. With one call to 911, help is on the way — real-time, reliable, and ready. 
,” she added.
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