STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan (PIA) — To ensure timely response efforts, especially during the dry and Lenten seasons, the Pangasinan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) appealed to the public to refrain from making prank calls to the province’s 911 emergency hotline.
Prank calls waste time and resources, diverting attention from real emergencies that can put people’s safety at risk.
Prank calls, especially bomb threats, are punishable under Presidential Decree No. 1727, which prohibits the dissemination of false information or the willful making of threats to cause public confusion.
Those found guilty may face up to five years jail term or a fine of up to P40,000 at the discretion of the court.
According to Vincent Chiu, operations head of the Pangasinan PDRRMO, their office has received a total of 500,000 calls since the hotline began operating.
Of these, almost 60,000 were prank calls, including fake bomb threat reports.
“For instance, there was a call requesting a firefighter because the sea was on fire. Some will make calls but won’t speak. Our time and resources were wasted instead of being used to respond to other emergency calls,” Chiu said during PIA Pangasinan’s Pantongtontongan Tayo virtual press conference.
In a follow-up interview on April 1, the Pangasinan PDRRMO reported that 20,655 prank calls were received from January to March this year.
Chiu added that the majority of these prank calls, since the hotline’s inception, have come from high school students.
To address this issue, Chiu said that they have already coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd) to raise awareness among students and discourage prank calls.
The Pangasinan PDRRMO has been actively involved in educating the public through regular disaster preparedness education and training, including how to properly contact emergency services to help students and community members effectively understand the critical role of 911 and the impact of its misuse.
The 911 hotline is a vital tool for connecting individuals to emergency services, including fire response, police assistance and help with vehicular accidents.
Hence, Chiu is urging everyone to be responsible when using the 911 hotline and to keep it for legitimate emergencies only.
He urged callers to provide details when making an emergency call, including the nature and location of the emergency, as well as the caller’s name and contact number, to ensure immediate and effective response.
“Calls are recorded, and while the emergency details are being relayed to us, personnel from the PDRRMO are already contacting the nearest responders to the incident area,” Chiu assured.
The 911 hotline, a crucial resource for public safety, is active across the province.
By refraining from prank calls and providing accurate information during emergencies, we can ensure that help reaches those who need it most. (CCMT/JCDR, PIA Pangasinan)
