THE local government unit (LGU) of Morong, Rizal is now equipped with Next Generation Advanced 911 (NGA 911) emergency response technology through a command center launched last week.

“The creation of Morong, Rizal Emergency 911 Command Center has arisen on our utmost desire to effectively and efficiently respond to emergencies and crisis situations,” Morong Mayor Sidney B. Soriano said during the May 6 launch event.

He said it aims to enhance emergency responses, improve location accuracy, authority coordination, integration of surveillance systems, and access to real-time reports.

The NGA 911 hotline allows LGU residents to directly call and text trained dispatchers 24/7 to report disasters, accidents, and medical emergencies, among others.

A group of personnel is assigned to take calls as trained dispatchers that coordinate with authorities, such as the Philippine National Police for crime prevention, and medical and rescue services for the Bureau of Fire Protection.

It took a year to install the NGA 911 command center and an allocated P3.5 million in their 2022 budget, Mr. Soriano said.

As power and signal outages are common during climate disasters, NGA 911 ensures that its infrastructure is built on several redundancies and even uses Starlink, NGA Philippines Country Head Robert Andrew Llaguno said.

“That’s three circuits. When its first circuit fails, it will be on auto fail-safe. If everything falters and the communication system is down, our design will have the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Morong, Rizal to be the last base standing,” he said.

Mr. Llaguno said the NGA 911 Call Handling System can identify the location of the caller within a five-yard radius.

It is powered by Internet of Things capabilities to allow interaction beyond regular devices like smartphones and desktops. CCTV streams, GPS location and other early warning devices are also integrated.

Currently, the technology is currently used to monitor calls and awaits telecommunication companies to terminate sending the 911 calls to Morong’s command center, Mr. Llaguno said.

The project is a partnership between Morong’s LGU and NGA Philippines, the local subsidiary of multinational corporation NGA 911, LLC headquartered in the US, to provide emergency communication and public safety services.

After Morong and Asia, NGA Philippines aims to replicate the use of the short code in the country, aligned with former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Executive Order No. 56, which institutionalized 911 as the emergency hotline and nationwide emergency answering point, replacing Patrol 117.

“Hopefully, the first 100 local government units adopt it — highly urbanized and component cities, as well as some first-class, second-class municipalities — and then it cascades slowly,” Mr. Llaguno said.

Meanwhile, Rizal Governor Nina Ricci Alcantara Ynares-Chiongbian said she is optimistic about the Call Handling System’s wider implementation, as it can also be helpful for criminal cases. — A.R.A. Inosante

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