LGUs vow full support to Unified 911 Satellite Command Centers
Local chief executives in Iloilo expressed full support for the simultaneous activation and launching of four Unified 911 Satellite Command Centers (SCCs) across Luzon and the Visayas at the Leganes Fire Station in Leganes, Iloilo, held on June 4, 2026.
The launching of the more advanced emergency response system, which highlighted the activation of regional hubs in Leganes town, together with Batac (Region I), Cauayan (Region II), and Tacloban (Region VIII), aims to consolidate thousands of local emergency numbers into a single, life-saving hotline, which is the 911.
This initiative is in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to include legislative and operational reforms to streamline crisis management, improve forecasting and alerts, and establish localized response centers nationwide.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Melencio Nartatez Jr. led the live 911 simulation exercise, demonstrating language-sensitive emergency response held in a random sari-sari store in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
The PNP Chief emphasized that the new system is the most advanced to date, featuring grid coordinate location tracking accurate to within one meter.
To further ensure efficiency and transparency, the PNP, as one of the primary responders, has also upgraded its logistical equipment and resources, such as motorcycles to reach far-flung areas and body-worn cameras for real-time monitoring, among others.
According to Nartatez, this will help enhance the mobility of responders and will allow the immediate provision of help.
In line with this, the PNP committed to increasing mobility by providing patrol cars and communication equipment to various local government units (LGUs) to ensure they are ready to respond to 911 calls.
For the part of LGUs, Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu noted the support already provided to the Iloilo City Emergency Responders (ICER), upholding the city’s commitment to maintaining a response time of at least five minutes.
“Our commitment on behalf of the Iloilo City government, we’ll make sure that every week, we’ll try to do SIMEX [simulation exercises] for the response time to make sure that in times of emergency, we’ll make it in below five minutes,” said Treñas-Chu, adding that the city government already provided the responder support in all their equipment, facility, and even in the vehicles they utilize.
As the core innovation of the Unified 911 system is its regionalization, this allows callers to speak in their native dialects such as Hiligaynon, Ilocano, and Waray directly to local operators.
New Lucena town Mayor lawyer Carl Vincent Mondejar, representing the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Iloilo Province, lauded this move, citing the system’s integration of cultural sensitivity with the use of local dialects.
“This emergency hotline is a good initiative that is now delivered in a language or a dialect that is understood by those seeking help, because it lessens the time required for the collection of information and data, and it will also reflect especially [on] time for our law enforcements to address and help our constituents,” stressed Mondejar.
Leganes town Mayor Vicente P. Jaen, whose municipality serves as a key hub for the program, expressed gratitude for the inclusion of smaller localities in the national safety net.
“In behalf of the grateful people of Leganes, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the President for choosing Leganes to be the hub of this 911 emergency program. Our commitment in behalf of the grateful people is our all-out support for this program,” stated Jaen.
With the activation of these satellite centers, the government aims to ensure that immediate help is now accessible to all, regardless of their location or language. (PIA Western Visayas)
