MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla urged schools and parents to teach children how to use the Unified 911 emergency hotline, saying students should know where to seek immediate help during emergencies.
Remulla said the hotline is operational nationwide. He cited the response to the June 22 school shooting in Tacloban City as an example of how the system can facilitate a rapid response.
“What happened in Tacloban, within one minute the teacher called 911, and within four minutes, the BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) arrived on-site. It’s working. Let us teach our children to use 911. It is now nationwide,” Remulla said during a recent nationwide school safety drill in San Rafael, Bulacan.
The Tacloban incident occurred at San Jose National High School on June 22, when two minors opened fire on students. Three students were killed and several others were injured. Police received the first report of the shooting at 9:16 a.m., while police and BFP personnel arrived at the school at 9:19 a.m.
The BFP said the Unified 911 system in Eastern Visayas has improved coordination among emergency response agencies. It cited the Tacloban shooting as an example in which responders reached the school only minutes after the emergency call, with a BFP officer helping apprehend one of the suspects.
Remulla called on schools, the education sector, parents and other stakeholders to familiarize children with emergency response systems and protocols established by the government.
He said preparedness requires continuous learning, particularly as the country faces different types of emergencies, including major disasters such as a possible huge earthquake.
The DILG chief said the agency would continue working with the Department of Education and other government agencies to strengthen school safety protocols and improve protection for students, teachers and school communities.
