Philippine National Police chief, General Nicolas Torre III, discussed with officials of Western and Central Visayas and Negros Island Region strategies and operations implementation for the five-minute response time.

Torre visited Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City, headquarters of the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas, and was received by Director Brigadier General Jack Wanky.

He underscored the need to focus and delineate their strategies since there are urban and rural areas in Visayas, noting that officials should know what is happening on the ground and what services are to be delivered.

“They can assess what the people need,” he said in a media interview, adding that they can determine if people in hinterland villages still need the five-minute response.

The five-minute response time starts upon the dispatch of responders, after the information is received at the command center.

All calls via hotline 911 will be received by the command center at Camp Crame in the National Capital Region, unless the information is captured by 911-Cebu for Visayas areas.

Torre assured that officers would respond without determining if the call was a prank, but warned perpetrators would be caught and their numbers might be blocked. There is also a possibility that they can no longer access help even if they truly need it. (PNA)