After Morong, E911 National Office, DILG aims to bring state of the art emergency response system to other LGUs

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The town of Morong, a second-class municipality in Rizal, scored a feat this May by being the first-ever local government unit in the Philippines and the first in Southeast Asia, to put in place a world-class, state-of-the-art emergency response center with the Next Generation 911 System used in the USA to better serve their residents.

Executive Director Francis Fajardo of the Emergency 911 National Office and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for External, Legal and Legislative Affairs Atty. Juan Victor Llamas, activated Morong’s Emergency 911 Hotline Number at the inauguration of Morong’s E911 Local Command Center in Sitio Paglabas, Bgy. San Pedro on May 6.

Fajardo hailed the establishment of the first E911 command center in the country as “a significant step forward in providing efficient and effective emergency response services to every corner of the nation”.

“This center will serve as the nerve center for emergency operations in Morong. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and staffed by dedicated personnel trained to handle any crisis with precision and professionalism,” Fajardo said.

Usec. Llamas congratulated the officials of Morong for being the first local government unit with a Next Generation 911 System in the country and said that Secretary Benjamin Abalos and the DILG supports the project.

“Morong will be placed in history as the pioneer LGU to use Emergency 911, made possible with the help of NGA 911”, Llamas said.

Morong will now be able to use the emergency 911 hotline instead of the current ten-digit number for emergency calls. Fajardo revealed that guided by the fundamental principles of the Bagong Pilipinas brand of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, his office and the DILG jointly aim “to localize the emergency 911 hotline nationwide in order to fulfill our mandate under Executive Order No. 56 for the institutionalization of E911 as nationwide answering point that conforms with the international standard for emergency hotline number”.

In April 2023, Morong town officials led by Mayor Sidney Soriano and Vice Mayor Jose Fred Feliciano signed an agreement with NGA Philippines (NGA) to provide Morong with world-class and complete solutions for emergency communication and public

safety services. NGA Philippines is the local subsidiary of multinational corporation NGA 911, LLC headquartered in California, USA.

NGA is known globally as the innovator of emergency calling technology used by many states in the USA, and the leader in Next Generation 911 (NG911) emergency communications worldwide, NGA’s system is built on the industry standards adopted by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) in the United States and the European Emergency Number Association (EENA).

NGA Philippines’ Country Head Robert Llaguno said Morong’s investment in the emergency NG911 system presently used in the United States pioneers the use of technology in the country that will revolutionize the way and speed with which the LGU can handle emergencies. “NGA is prepared to bring the state-of-the-art E911 system to other LGUs in the archipelago, one LGU at a time”.

“All 911 calls to the Morong DRRM Command Center are now fully recorded, and conference and transfer facilities are now seamless,” explained Llaguno. “There is more efficient dispatch and coordination. The LGU will also be able to pinpoint with high accuracy the location of the emergency call and associate the same with the closest responders to provide a more immediate response.”

Llaguno said there are several other LGUs that will follow Morong’s lead within the next two quarters: one in North Luzon, one in Visayas and one in Mindanao.

“There is a growing number [of LGUs] shifting to Next Generation 911 and we are seeing a lot of local chief executives prioritizing public safety [for their constituents],” he added.

PHLPost announces national winners for 53rd UPU Int’l Letter Writing tilt

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The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) recently announced the national winners of the 53rd Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Letter Writing Competition for Young People aimed to encourage young people to articulate their thoughts on current global challenges and propose innovative solutions.

This year’s winners are Ms. Karylle Mitch V. Salazar, a student of Saint Mary’s Academy of San Nicolas, Inc. Cebu City– first prize; Ms. Mathea Lyf Aire N. Elorde, of Kong Hua School, Cagayan de Oro – second prize; and Ms. Shania Mae M. Logronio of Atanacia L. Logronio Integrated School, Lanao del Norte - third prize.

The first prize winner will be awarded with Php20,000 cash, the second prize -P15,000 and third prize - P10,000 plus corresponding medals, and certificates for the winners. The chosen theme for this year is: “Write a letter to future generations about the world you hope they inherit.”



Ms. Karylle Mitch V. Salazar’s winning entry will represent the country in the worldwide competition to be held in Berne, Switzerland.



Part of her letter read: “In a world of serenity may you never fail to remember that love and compassion will always form the real definition of beauty. With utmost truthfulness, may these words reach you significantly. May you always be reminded that behind this letter is someone who hopes for a bright future ahead of you”.



This year’s judges were led by PHLPost Chief of Staff Marcos Ryan Laurente, School Press Advisers Movement Inc. Founder Dr. Melanie Viloria-Briones, ED. D, University of Sto. Tomas Office of Public Affairs Acting Director Michaella Lagniton, MA, and Presidential Communications Office Director for Digital Media and Communications Faith De Guia.

The contest is designed to develop the young people's skills in composition and the ability to express their thoughts clearly, to foster their enjoyment of letter-writing and to help strengthen the bonds of international friendship – one of the basic missions of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized agency of the United Nations wherein PHLPost is an active member.

Bigger than basketball: Fighting Maroons give back to indigenous communities in Butuan

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On May 14, 2024 UP President Atty. Angelo "Jijil" Jimenez unveiled the new motto of the University of the Philippines, adding "Service" to the current values each Iskolar ng Bayan is expected to live up to - Honor and Excellence.

"Honor and Excellence has long been the motto of our beloved University. But let us not forget the root of our very existence- that is, to serve. That is why we should always remember to live by our new motto 'Honor and Excellence in the Service of the Nation'. 

It's our reason for being," said President Jimenez, born with roots from the Manobo Tribe in Butuan City.

And that is what the UP Men's Basketball Team did during their weekend trip to Butuan City on May 18 and 19. 

Through the initiative of UP President Jimenez and the Office of the University President, the UP Fighting Maroons, in partnership with the UP Alumni Association, One Meralco Foundation, More Power, and Chooks to Go, turned over television sets, school supplies, and machineries that will benefit the students and teachers at Mahayahay Elementary School and nearby community.

"Syempre nakakataba ng puso and natutuwa kami na nakatulong kami sa kanila, kahit sa maliit na paraan lang ba. Nagpapasalamat kami kay President Jijil na ininvolve niya ang team dito. Sana hindi ito ang last time na makasama kami sa ganitong projects n'ya," said Butuan City native JD Cagulangan. 

The Fighting Maroons then took part in a tree planting activity in the said community.

The Diliman-based squad flew to Butuan City to play against Cebu’s University of San Carlos Warriors in an invitational game that celebrated Butuan City’s Balangay Festival 2024 at the Fr. Saturnino Urios University Gym.

The Fighting Maroons bested the CESAFI 2023 bronze medalists, 90-49, in Cagulangan's homecoming game.