Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla warned that prank callers to the government’s 911 emergency hotline will be permanently flagged and deprioritized for future emergencies after just one false call.
He issued the warning after data showed that 30% of the 58,000 calls on the hotline’s second operational day were pranks.
Remulla emphasized that abusers of the system would be the “last priority” in real emergencies.
Despite the prank call issue, he praised the Unified 911 system for its first major success — the swift rescue of a 78-year-old kidnap victim in Quezon City.
Remulla urged the public to use the hotline responsibly, highlighting its nationwide accessibility.
Source: PhilNews24 | September 14, 2025
