Laoag City—With Executive Order (E.O) No. 56, series of 2018, dated May 25, 2018, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte strengthened its existing emergency hotline services by making all calls to it free of charge.
Dubbed the Ilocos Norte Provincial Incident Response Management (PIRM) 911, PGIN launched it in December 2016 as a centralized hotline ensuring rapid response to accidents and other emergency situations through immediate coordination with the Ilocos Norte Provincial Police Office (INPPO) and other public safety agencies including the Bureau of Fire Protection and provincial hospitals.
PIRM 911 operates 24/7 with four landline and mobile phone numbers: 077-600-0948, 077-772-1772, 0999-999-7707, and 0917-109-9911. Trained personnel stationed at the Provincial Capitol handles all calls.
Though based in Ilocos Norte, PIRM 911 also has within its jurisdiction reports from nearby provinces of Cagayan and Ilocos Sur.
Wilfredo Lorenzo Jr., Provincial Information Technology Office officer in charge, the office overseeing the PIRM 911 operations, reminds the public to use the hotline responsibly.
“Although it is good news na libre na ang pantawag sa ating hotline, hindi pa rin mawawala na mayroong prank at fraudulent calls. Noong nagkick-start anghotline, the first three months ng operations ay prank calls. Pero dahil mayroon pa itong charge noon, tingin ko maliit pa lang yung instances ngprank calls,” Lorenzo stated.
Mr. Lorenzo, however, placed the rate at 80-90% of calls since the launch of PIRM 911 were fraudulent.
“Tulad ng pakiusap at panawagan natin noong inumpisahan itong emergency hotline, sana naman ay ituring bilang seryosong bagay ang pagtatawag ag paghingi ng tulong. Hindi natin alam kung sinong nangangailangan ng tulong, kung sakaling prank call lang ang nasagot namin, may pagkakataong hindi namin marespondehan nang mabilis yung totoong nangangailangan,” he warned.
Mr. Lorenzo also warned the public that fraudulent, hoax, and prank calls are punishable by law.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the E.O. 56 on May 25, 2018. (Ma. Christian A. Ramos)