Bustos in Bulacan province has just become the first local government unit in Region 3 to be equipped with the high technology public safety communication system used in the US and Europe.
Mayor Francis Albert Juan inaugurated the first class municipality’s command center Monday, April 21, with National E911 Office Executive Director Francis Fajardo hailing the move as a godsend to the municipality and the region.
The Bustos Command Center is manned by LGU call handlers trained by the National E911 office, 911 operators working 24/7 and sophisticated monitoring systems and emergency dispatch tools.
Fajardo said the cutting-edge system can quickly, efficiently and accurately respond to emergency calls because it can pinpoint the precise location and identity of the caller, among other things. It integrates seamlessly with other communication systems, identifies and eliminates prank callers, monitors and responds to all calls simultaneously and ensures quick response on the scene of the emergency.
The Executive Director praised Mayor Juan’s initiative in prioritizing public safety for his locality, thus giving Bustos an emergency response command center that is at par with emergency communication systems used in developed countries around the world.
“Young local officials like Mayor Juan are forward-looking and always open to innovation,” said ED Fajardo, commending the mayor and his municipality for heeding the government’s call for LGUs to put up their own emergency response systems that use the latest technology. “They will provide a lifeline to all Filipinos”.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Johnvic Remulla has made a unified 911 system as a high-priority initiative during his term, with the aim of improving emergency response nationwide via a highly reliable, flexible and feature-rich system for handling calls and transmitting information. Mayor Juan and Bustos, Bulacan were one of the first LGUs to heed the call.
“This has been my dream even as a barangay captain – to render good and efficient public service to the citizens of Bustos, to protect and serve constituents and offer hope to our town. Now that we have this (cutting edge) system in place, once you’re in Bustos, just dial 911 and we will take care of your emergency, be it fire, crime, petty crimes or vehicular accidents, I know we will respond fast. We are the first to do this in Bulacan and in the whole of Region 3, by the way,” Mayor Juan said proudly.
Vehicular accidents are the most frequent reason for emergency calls, said Mayor Juan – a statistic shared by Bustos with other LGUs and compatible with data from the Department of Transportation.
The national government has also prioritized enhanced disaster preparedness and response in its agenda. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. himself has repeatedly underscored the need to improve the capacity of communities to be prepared so they can prevent and reduce the impact of disasters in their localities, stressing the need for science-based innovations on disaster response and asking LGUs to work together towards this goal.
