MikeLigalig.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — This city will soon have its own localized 911 system in an effort to speed up dispatch of emergency services.

A "localized" 911 dispatch system is seen to be faster, where calls will not have to be routed to a central emergency dispatch center outside the city, said City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Allan Porcadilla.

Porcadilla explained that emergency calls under the nationwide Rescue 911 launched last year are routed in a central command in Manila before they are transferred to their respective origins.

Cagayan de Oro, a city of 675,950 people, needs a speedy rescue system to better respond to the emergency needs of its burgeoning population, Porcadilla said.

Under the locally-operated 911 rescue unit, Porcadilla said the city government will be able to directly receive calls and appropriate respond the nature of emergencies—medical, police, fire, bomb defusers, hazardous materials containment, and other emergency situations.

The city's CDRRMO has been consistently awarded for the past five years as the best local disaster management in Region 10.

However, it recently received criticisms for allegedly taking too long in the rescue of multiple victims at a vehicular accident last month.

Porcadilla said the new 911 system will be available to all PLDT, Globe and Smart subscribers.

Mayor Oscar Moreno will activate the local 911 system by taking the first ceremonial call on August 28.

“Just dial 911, stay on the line and our call center will handle the rest,” he said. The CDRRMO 911 emergency dispatch center will be located at the City Hall campus and will be manned 24/7 by operators who were trained by Davao Central 911.

The previous head of Davao Central 911, retired Col. Mario Verneer Monsanto, is the Cagayan de Oro CDRRMO consultant. (PNA)

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