DAVAO City Councilor Bonz Andre Militar said that there is a need to modernize the emergency system and strengthen the public safety measures in the city.
Militar, who chairs the committee on information technology, said that he aims to craft an ordinance that would enhance the operational efficiency of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), 911 Command Center, and its allied emergency services.
"This proposed legislation will pave the way for a responsive and modern emergency services system. This initiative will introduce a system featuring a digital, GPS-enabled, and geospatially integrated platform that will revolutionize emergency response," he said during his privilege speech on Tuesday, June 15, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Militar said that one of the additions would be the advanced filtering to eliminate prank calls in the 911 system, as well as penalties for the offenses. He said that these measures would ensure that the emergency call service would always be available for genuine emergencies.
To recall, Davao City’s Central 911 reported that they receive around 1,000 calls daily, but only about 100 of them are legitimate emergency calls. Hence, they encourage the public to make calls only when it is indeed a genuine emergency.
Militar added that with the improved system, the emergency response times would be reduced, ensuring that more lives would be saved. He said that through the GPS-based caller tracking, geotagging of communities, and smart dispatch coordination, the 911 Command Center would be able to locate the patients or callers, particularly in hard-to-locate barangays.
In preparation for the implementation of the ordinance, Militar said that he paid a courtesy visit to CDRRMO head Alfredo Baluran to ensure a collaborative approach for its successful implementation.
The councilor said that he would also propose an ordinance that focuses on public safety measures through enhancing border control measures. He said that through this ordinance, AI facial recognition technology will be utilized and strategically placed at the entry and exit points of the city, such as land borders, airports, seaports, shorelines, and other city critical points.
He said that AI facial recognition would play a crucial role in law enforcement, since authorities would be able to trace individuals on wanted lists and alert safety and security agencies in real time.
"This proactive measure will significantly strengthen our city's security, allowing us to better monitor and control movement, identify potential threats, and ensure the safety of our communities from external dangers and criminal elements," he said.
He added that on June 16, 2025, he had a meeting with Acting Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte and he presented these legislative initiatives.
Militar said his motion will be considered first reading, be jointly referred to the committee on disaster risk management and ethics, and the committee on peace and public safety. RGP
