Bacolod readies localized 911 hotline for faster response
By Glazyl M. Jopson
By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY — Mayor Greg Gasataya said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is now testing the city’s localized 911 emergency hotline.
Gasataya said a DILG representative overseeing the 911 system arrived in the city on Aug. 13 to inspect hotline operations and conduct tests.
As of Aug. 14, Gasataya said the DILG was ready to issue a certificate allowing Bacolod to officially go live, enabling local operators to directly answer 911 calls originating from the city.
Gasataya said that once residents call 911, Bacolod operators will answer the calls, unlike before when operators from other areas handled them.
He said some residents had previously raised concerns about coordination during emergencies because Bacolod operators did not handle calls directly.
“As of Wednesday night, gin-test nila, pwede na gid makabaton. We will officially launch 911 BCD soon,” the mayor said.
Gasataya said he had been working on localizing the emergency hotline since last year to ensure faster response during emergencies.
“There will be no language barrier and this is localized. The system is in place,” he said.
He also appealed to the public to use the hotline responsibly, stressing that emergency calls could involve matters of life and death.
“Ndi paghampangan kay indi ini hampanganan,” Gasataya said.
Residents can dial 911 for emergencies requiring police, fire, and other emergency response services.
The Unified 911 system was launched nationwide in September 2025 as a single emergency hotline that is free, available 24/7, and designed to provide language-sensitive assistance.
While 911 is a unified nationwide emergency number, Gasataya said calls originating from Bacolod will now be received directly by local operators, which he expects will improve response times.
“Unified 911 naman siya nationwide. Same number, pero localized ang pagsabat kag response, so ma-improve gid ang oras,” he said.
The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) officially launched the SAFE NIR Dial 911 program in Bacolod City on June 4 to provide quicker, more responsive, and community-oriented emergency services for residents.
From its launch through Aug. 16, the program received 364 calls, resulting in the arrest of 53 individuals.
The SAFE NIR Dial 911 program remains a centralized regional police hotline under the flagship initiative of PRO-NIR chief Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño.
SAFE stands for Seen, Appreciated, Felt, and Extraordinary and is designed to make police assistance more accessible, responsive, and connected to the communities it serves.
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