Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Año recently discussed the P22.4 million allocation for the National 911 program this year, saying the funding will provide a boost for the project touted by President Rodrigo Duterte while on the campaign trail.

“We have so much planned for the National 911 program this 2018,” he said. “We commit to push through with all of these innovations.”

Among the priorities the DILG official is seeking are increases in internal capacity, improvement to response capability, along with hiring more personnel and providing more certification training.

“Hiring qualified and competent professionals to serve as telecommunicators, information technology, planning, and legal service support will ramp up 911’s quick response capability, thus, saving more lives,” he explained.

Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) officer-in-charge Dondon Parandas recently pointed out a need to localize 911 services as 911 calls from the city are still dispatched through either Manila or Cebu.

“We want to become self-reliant and a frontline in the DRRM delivery of services,” Parandas said./PLL, WDJ