Response time to 911 calls sped up by 39.6 percent in the past month, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday.
In a statement, the PNP said its average response time improved from 4.62 minutes to 2.79 minutes from Sept. 11 to Oct. 17, 2025.
Further, it said the revamped 911 system handled 19,761 ‘legitimate’ emergency calls during the said period, with only 2,736 found to be prank calls.
Although it did not provide a more detailed breakdown of the calls made to the system from Sept. 11 to Oct. 17, the PNP noted that there were 3,539 calls for traffic-related incidents and 5,302 calls for public order disturbances.
‘To prevent abuse of the system, the Unified 911 is also equipped with an automated filtering and blocking mechanism that detects repeat prank or nuisance calls,’ the PNP explained.
‘Once flagged, the offending number is automatically blocked from making further calls to the hotline – ensuring that emergency lines remain open for genuine distress calls,’ it added.
The revamped 911 system was launched last Sept. 11 by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, combining the police, hospital and fire emergency services.