Government Partners with Telcos on Creation of Emergency Hotline 911

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom signed an agreement with the government to support the creation of a new nationwide emergency hotline number, which is 911, to replace Patrol 117.

Effectively, the use of 911 will begin August 1, which is also the commencement of the transition period. Globe also agreed to provide technical support during the period.

In addition, Globe also agreed to support a recommendation to be submitted to President Duterte for the issuance of a new Executive Order transferring the authority of the Patrol 117 Commission to a new legal entity to handle the 911 system.

Aside from Globe, other signatories to the agreement are the country’s major telecommunications providers that include the company’s units Bayan Telecommunications and Innove. Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu signed the agreement for Globe.

“As a telecommunications provider, Globe recognizes that communication is critical for an emergency response mechanism to be effective. We are hopeful that the 911 system will be an effective tool in addressing the country’s emergency concerns,:” said Cu.

Signatories on the government side include Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Rodolfo Salalima, National Telecommunications Commission Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, among others. Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez served as a witness.

Created in 2002, Patrol 117 is the country’s emergency hotline number for incidents like police assistance, fires, medical, calamities, and other emergencies. The system is supervised by the DILG.

Registration for Barangay & Sangguniang Kabataan Elections Starts July 15

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"Voter registration is a non-partisan activity. It is a voter-empowerment affair; increasing the size of the electorate; broadening democracy."
Based on Commision on Elections (COMELEC) Resolution no. 10148, the COMELEC will conduct the Barangay Elections on October 31, 2016 pursuant to Republic Act (RA) no. 9340 entitled 'An Act Amending RA no. 9164, Resetting the Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections, and for Other Purposes.'

Because of new SK Reform Law, all individuals ages 18 to 30 years of age will vote at both Barangay and SK elections. The 16-day registration starts on July 15. 2016 and ends on July 31, and can be done at any COMELEC office from 8 am to 5 pm, including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. This is open to everyone who hasn't been previously registered and those who need to have their status reactivated. Registered voters as of May 9, 2016 NLE shall automatically be included in the list of voters. Previously registered voters do NOT have to register anew; but you might have to REACTIVATE your registration if deactivated.

Four million young voters are likely to register for the SK elections and two million for the barangay polls. Voters must be Filipino citizens, residing for at least six months in the barangay where they intend to vote on election day and not disqualified by law.

The scheduled barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections later this year may call for a higher budget, given the need for more poll workers and the implementation of a new law giving higher honoraria for them. The COMELEC has earmarked the cost to around P695 million for printing and delivery of election forms and ballot boxes both elections.

There were clamors to move the SK election by COMELEC Commissioner Andres Bautista himself, but it seems it was not substantial to delay the inevitable.

SK Elections Calendar of Activities:

▪️Voters' Registration - July 15-31, 2016
▪️Filing of Candidacy - October 3-5, 2016
▪️Campaign Period - October 21-29, 2016
▪️SK Elections - October 31, 2016 7AM-3PM

Age bracket for Barangay voters: 18y/o & up
Age bracket for SK Voters: 15-30y/o
Age bracket for SK candidates: 18-24

WSI Is Authorized Distributor of Polycom Products

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The above photo shows WSI President Juan Chua receiving a certificate from Regional Manager Thep Ritrangka of Polycom to formalize its designation as authorized distributor of Polycom products in the Philippines - From L-R, Frederick So, Country Sales Manager of Polycom; Juan Chua, President of WSI, and Thep Ritrangkla, Regional Manager of Polycom.

Polycom is one of the most popular provider of voice/video conferencing solutions, and the day was also focused on the presentation of Polycom's newest solutions including demos on the capability of their video cameras to track currently active voice so it can zero in on the one speaking during a video conference, the 360 degree video coverage capability, and lots more features which were shown by Sales Engineer Kim Malinao using a live collaboration with their counterpart located in India.  The Polycom solutions include RealPresence Debut, Trio 8800, Media Suite and Web Suite. 

The event was hosted by WSI Marketing Manager Jacqueline Sy-Tong, and WSI Procuct Specialist Erashee Ritchie gave an introductory message to officially start the event.

More information will be published as soon as they send us their official press release.

Watch out for our video interviews with the key personalities of this partnership soon at our YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/user/wazzuppilipinas

From the interview, we learned that WSI as the longest-running IT distributor in the country, and the fast-paced development in technology specifically in collaboration solutions that can be incorporated in many industries including health and education. However, we are disappointed with our continued dependence on bandwidth for better voice and video conferencing which can only be achieved if we have tolerable connectivity. Here is another shout-out to our telecommunication providers to implement better infrastructures so that all these technologies can be fully utilized.

More photos are available at our official Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas