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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DILG: 911 hotline now blocks AI-generated, automated prank calls

DILG: 911 hotline now blocks AI-generated, automated prank calls

Published Mar 17, 2026 01:32 pm
The country’s modernized “Unified 911 system’’ can now detect and screen AI-generated and automated prank calls, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) stated on Tuesday, March 17.
In a statement, the DILG emphasized that the improved emergency calling system will assist the operators and responders to focus on genuine urgent assistance.
Emergency 911 National Office Executive Director Francis Fajardo said the upgraded system can now recognize patterns linked to AI-generated calls and robo-dialing used for prank or misleading reports.
“May nakarating sa akin na nag-report na AI-generated. Ngayon, sa Unified 911 with our modernized system, nafi-filter natin ‘yang mga robo-calls at AI-generated (I received AI-generated reports. Now, under the Unified 911 with our modernized system, we can filter robo-calls and AI generated ones),’’ Fajardo said.
“Meron kasi tayo sa system natin na nava-validate natin kung ‘yan ay AI-generated (calls). Sa system, nakikita na natin ‘yan (In our system we can validate AI-generated. We can see them in the system),’’ he added.
Though data from the National Call Center showed that prank and abandoned calls dropped by 98.3 percent since the modernized system was launched in September 2025, the DILG noted that suspicious or non-emergency calls still consume valuable system capacity and may delay assistance to legitimate callers in distress.
The DILG said prank and automated calls can clog emergency lines and delay response to real incidents such as accidents, crimes, fires, and medical emergencies.
“To protect the hotline’s capacity, the system now tracks numbers that repeatedly place suspicious or non-emergency calls. Numbers that show a pattern of prank reporting are automatically assigned lower priority, allowing operators to prioritize verified emergencies,’’ the DILG pointed out.
The DILG reminded the public that every unnecessary call to 911 risks delaying help for someone whose life may be on the line.
“Iwasan na po natin tumawag kung hindi naman emergency. By the time na kayo na ang mangailangan ng tulong, baka hindi kayo agad masagot (Let us avoid making non-emergency calls. By the time you need help, probably your calls cannot be immediately answered),’’ Fajardo emphasized.
The DILG reiterated that Unified 911 is strictly for emergencies and urged the public to help protect the system by using the hotline responsibly so responders can reach those in danger without delay.
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