Local government units need to put up their local 911 command centers as the country braces for La Niña, that is expected to bring at least three typhoons a month and at least ten more for the year 2024.

This was the main message of Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. at the National Summit for Emergency Response held August 14 at the EDSA Shangri-La Manila, an event attended by 38 LGUs, 18 government agencies, eight private organizations and about 350 participants.

Abalos underscored the importance of a unified, nationwide 911 emergency response system that uses the latest technology, like the US’ 911 system, so it can respond swiftly and accurately to emergencies in all parts of the country.

At the Summit all speakers agreed about the critical need for emergency command centers for LGUs to provide emergency response – from serving as life-or-death rescuers to protecting persons or property to “A seamless, nationwide communication infrastructure for emergency services” must be created, the DILG Secretary said, and the command centers need to be equipped with the latest tools and technology.

“We are now starting this,” Abalos said, citing the pioneering work done by the municipality of Morong, Rizal in putting up its own command center that runs on the cutting edge technology provided by Next Generation Advanced 911. He said Alaminos, Pangasinan; Cagayan De Oro City, Cebu City and Navotas City will soon put up their revitalized public safety capabilities.

“The only thing we can do to implement this in the most efficient way is to use technology. That’s the only way,” Abalos stressed.

He lauded the fact that the Philippine National Police is now testing the cutting edge, next generation advanced 911 technology that has given it world-class emergency response capabilities like that used in the US and Europe.

At the Summit the DILG Secretary, PNP Col. Salvador, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) First Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Core Business Mitch Locsin and NGA 911 co-founder CEO Don Ferguson signed a Memorandum of Understanding that made the turnover of the NGA 911 call handling system to the PNP official and cemented their roles in revolutionizing the country’s emergency response system.

The state-of-the-art NGA 911 call handling system will let the PNP respond to distress calls and provide emergency response in unprecedented speed with accurate pinpointing of location.

First Vice President Mitch Locsin promised that PLDT will contribute to the completion of the emergency response resilience paradigm by providing the seamless connection that would make emergency calls easy to locate and respond to.

Google and Amazon Web Services emphasized the role of the cloud in making the calling and response process faster and more efficient.

The Philippines ranks No. 1 as the most at risk to multiple types of natural hazards,” noted Dr. Ted Esguerra in his talk about “The International Disaster Response Network and the New Normal Life”. “It is time to invest in disaster resilience,” he said.