Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 4) — The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has disclosed that it received 2.54 million prank calls out of the 18.5 million calls in their 911 hotline last year.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said that the agency received 37,440 legitimate calls; 16,763 were non-emergency; and 9.7 million were incomplete.

Año said that 1 in every two calls received were incomplete calls that were either abandoned, disconnected, dropped, or sounded robotic.

“We are urging the calling public to practice discipline in making 911 calls,” he said in a statement.

“For every prank or incomplete call that you make, there could be other people out there whose lives may be in danger or who need emergency assistance but could not go through because the lines are busy,” he added.

Last year, Año warned that prank calls are punishable under Presidential Decree 1727 and those found guilty may be punished by imprisonment of not more than five years or a fine of not more than P40,000.

The E911, formerly known as Patrol 117, was institutionalized through Executive Order No. 56 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last 2018.

The emergency hotline provides police assistance, fire reports, medical assistance, search and rescue, and even those that concern chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) materials.

DILG noted that legitimate emergency calls are forwarded to the nearest Primary Service Responders and Major Support Service Responders, which in turn act immediately in coordination with the National Call Center.