Iloilo City sets PHP 3 million for 911 satellite office

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government will invest PHP 3 million to renovate and convert an office at the Iloilo City Fire Station in Fort San Pedro into a satellite office of the city’s 911 Emergency Operations Center.

The project will transform the fire station’s second floor, or mezzanine, into the 911 Emergency Operations Center–Iloilo City Satellite Office to improve coordination and accelerate emergency response operations.

Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu announced the initiative after meeting July 23 with Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region 6 Director Fire Chief Superintendent Edwin Vargas, who presented the proposed design and renovation plans for the facility.

“Our goal is a faster, more efficient, and better emergency response system for the city,” Treñas-Chu said.

She said the satellite office marks another step toward modernizing Iloilo City’s emergency response network by strengthening coordination between the local government and response agencies.

Treñas-Chu also said the city is studying the acquisition of additional fire trucks to strengthen Iloilo City’s firefighting capability and improve responses to fires and other emergencies.

She welcomed Vargas’ commitment to assign additional BFP personnel and deploy newly recruited firefighters to Iloilo City, saying the move would reinforce the city’s emergency services.

The planned satellite office builds on earlier discussions between Treñas-Chu and BFP Chief Fire Director Wilberto Rico Neil Ang Kwan Tiu during his visit to Iloilo City in June for the inauguration of the Unified 911 Satellite Command Center in Leganes, Iloilo.

The Unified 911 Satellite Command Center in Leganes serves as a support facility that enhances emergency coordination and complements Iloilo City’s existing emergency response network through closer collaboration with neighboring local government units and national agencies.

Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Fire Station recently earned national recognition after being named one of the Top 5 Best City Fire Stations in the Philippines during the BFP’s 35th anniversary celebration.

The recognition highlights the station’s operational performance and comes as the city continues to invest in modernizing its emergency response infrastructure and strengthening interagency coordination.

The BFP was established in 1991 under Republic Act 6975, the law that reorganized the country’s fire services under the Department of the Interior and Local Government.