As part of its efforts to further improve its disaster and emergency preparedness and response, the municipality of Morong in Rizal inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Next Generation Advanced 911 (NGA 911) for the launching of its advanced emergency communication services in the town. The MOA signing was held on Monday, April 24, and was led by Morong Mayor Sidney Soriano, NGA Philippines Country Manager Robert Andrew Llaguno, Chief Financial Officer of NGA in the United States Ishka Villacisneros, and other Morong officials and representatives from NGA 911. According to the local government, the town assigned NGA-Philippines, a local subsidiary of NGA, to provide Morong with complete solutions that will enable the local government unit (LGU) to respond to emergencies, save lives and secure property in the fastest possible time. This makes the town the very first LGU to use the said system. Already being recognized around the world as the innovator of the emergency calling technology, NGA is the leader in Next Generation 911 emergency communications. NGA's emergency communication technology uses internet protocol (IP) technology to transmit voice, text, and video messages between callers and emergency responders. It can also provide real-time data on the location and condition of callers, which can help first responders make more informed decisions in emergency situations. This is the only true cloud-based NG 9-1-1 solution operating on the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Cloud platform which uses a robust and IP backbone that will replace the decades-old 911 infrastructure and turn emergency communication into Next Generation 911. Llaguno explained that the new system will further enhance the LGU’s emergency and disaster response capabilities with faster reaction time, accurate location tracking, consolidation of communication channels, call routing, collaboration, and mapping. “Its IoT (internet of things) capabilities allows interaction beyond regular devices like smart phones, desktops and gadgets. It allows seamless integration with public safety technology and systems like CCTVs, two-way radio, and social media apps to provide front liners with valuable information, resulting to better situational awareness and quicker, more efficient response," Llaguno said. He added that the system gathers information and stores everything in an unlimited fully-recorded environment complete with audit trail, dashboards, and logs. The data is secured by NGA 911’s international standards-compliant Next Generation and Cybersecurity capabilities and helps the LGU improve the speed and quality of its response. The executive stressed that the new system is also accessible to hearing-impaired individuals. "A Real Time Text (RTT) feature makes it easy for both callers and call receivers to report incidents, so those in danger need not do voice calls to report a crime, accident or emergency, making them feel safe and more secure in challenging situations," Llaguno noted. Meanwhile, Soriano said that despite the town already having an Operations Center, NGA's advanced system will surely be a big game-changer in Morong's emergency response capabilities. “We are partnering with NGA 911 to equip our public safety officers with a system that will enable them to provide immediate emergency assistance and help us adapt to the ever-changing landscape of public safety. Quick response is valuable because the equivalent of every second can be life or death. Whether the emergency is medical, fire, crime or accident, we need to provide fast and effective response. The NGA 911 Call Handling System will let us respond faster and more efficiently. Finally, our constituents are going to get the peace of mind they deserve,” Soriano said. He also urged other LGU's to adopt the same technology. “The implementation of NG911 technology in the Philippines could significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response systems in the country. We are using Next Generation 911 Technology currently being implemented across the United States. With Mr. Soriano’s leadership and support, we are confident that we can make this a reality and provide better emergency services to the Filipinos.” Villacisneros said.