Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Philippines’ 911 Emergency System project to be bid out by April.

Remulla said the government will allocate a P1.7-billion fund for the systems operational and capital expenditures this year, another P500 million in 2026, P400 million in 2027, and P250 million for every succeeding year

“It will be operational by June in the greater Manila and the greater Cebu area, and rolled out within the year,” Remulla told Malacanang reporters during a press briefing.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte created the Emergency 911 Hotline in 2018, replacing the 117 emergency hotline that had been put up in 2003. Local government units were tasked with putting up 911 call centers, which would be supervised by the national call center.

“I expect this will decrease crime even more, and also adding several more thousand CCTVs across the major urban areas to solve crimes faster,” Remulla said.

“All these cameras are AI-enabled and all those cameras will be linked to the National ID System, which will be relaunched this year,” he said.

The project is also designed to boost the public’s confidence in urban safety, Remulla said.

The terms of reference, which will contain the requirements for interested bidders, will be released on March 1.