HOUSE °F REPRESENTATIVES
RECEIVED
oateO 9 AUG 2016
Teo
Republic of the Philippines E seh

EY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRE!
First Regular Session

Introduced by Hon, JOHNNY T. PIMENTEL, Hon. FEDERICO S. SANDOVAL II, and
Hon. EDGAR MARY S. SARMIENTO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Emergency 911 Hotline was activated nationwide on August 1, 2016. This system fulfills the
policy direction and promise made by President Rodrigo Duterte after his election and reiterated

during his first State of the Nation Address. The 911 hotline replaces the previously existing 117

hotline used by the Philippine National Police for emergency purposes,

This Bill seeks to institutionalize and strengthen the Warning, Alert and Response Network
(WARN) 911 as the system which coordinates with the first major responder agencies during times
of emergency. It also encourages greater involvement of local responders by forming regional,

provincial, city, municipal and barangay 911 public safety answering centers.

Furthermore, this Bill ensures that the emergency 911 hotline is fully maximized by truly distressed

citizens. The access to the emergency hotli

is designed to be without any charge or cost. In
addition, callers may still access the WARN 911 number even without credit or load at no cost.
Moreover, subscribers of mobile network may tap other networks when they call the WARN 911

hotline should there be absence of or low coverage of their own subscribed network.

As part of the State thrust in disaster prevention, mitigation and response, this Bill also integrates

WARN 911 asa partner of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and its


local counterparts, Being a repository of distress calls and notices from the community, the hotline

shall serve asa source of early warning system useful in fulfilling the goal of disaster risk reduc

During the first day of the nation-wide 911 hotline, the emergency assistance number received over
2,475 calls. It is reported that only 75 calls, or three (3) percent of its total, were legitimate distress
calls. To address this dilemma, the Bill also includes penalties against pank-callers giving false
information and faulty reports. The penalties range from the imposition of fines to the suspension

of the caller's network subscription and imprisonment.

The institutionalization of the emergency hotline WARN 911 presents a crucial service for the
protection and security of the Filipino people that shall transcend even beyond the present

administration.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this Bill is earnestly sought.

FBDERICO §. SANDOVAL II

Z
Z
z
=
=
5
z
3
\3
\e
\
NY

EDGAR Mal

8 RMTENT ON


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO._ eta

Hon. EDGAR MARY S. SARMIENTO.

AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE WARNING, ALERT, AND RESPONSE
NETWORK 911 ACT OF 2016 OR THE ‘ WARN 911’ AS THE NATIONWIDE
EMERGENCY HOTLINE NUMBER AND PROVIDING PENALTY TO PRANK
CALLS THEREOF

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

\CTION 1. Short Title. ~ This Act shall be known as WARN 911 Act of 2016.

ing WARN 911.—The WARN 911 is hereby institutionalized as the
e Number.

SECTION 2. Institutionali
Nationwide Emergency Ho

a. There shall be WARN hotline 911 Public Safety Answering Center (Call Center) in every
Region, Province, City, Municipality and Barangay.

b. The Major Service Responders of WARN 911 are:

The Philippine National Police
. The Bureau of Fire Protection
he Bureau of Jail Management and Penology
. The Philippine Coast Guard
. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)
. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
. The Emergency Assistance and Response Network (EARnet)
. The MMDA (for Metro Manila),
. PNRC, Boy Scout of the Philippines and Volunteer NGOs
10. Others affiliated civic sector groups
11. Other affiliated public safety volunteers

~Perauewrne


c. The Emergency Assistance and Response Network is a network of responders composed
of Government and Private Institutions/Non-Government Institution, Emergency Medical
Service and Special Rescue Unit of the Bureau of Fire, in coordination with the DPWH,
DSWD, MMDA, DOH, Government agencies and with the cooperation of Private
Hospitals, Electric Companies, Water Districts, Civil Rescue Group/Organization, Boy
Scout and Girls Scout of the Philippines and other affiliated public safety volunteers and
civic sector groups.

SECTION 3. Injured Soldiers as Warn 911 Call Center Operators — Soldiers discharged from
duty due to service or combat-related injuries shall be given priority in serving as the Operators in
the WARN hotline 911 Call Centers.

SECTION 4. Institutionalizing the WARN 911 Community — Based Volunteer Network.
WARN 911 Community-Based Volunteers Network is hereby institutionalized constituting of the
Volunteer Service Responders Network,

a. There shall be organized a group to advocate, train, organize, mobilize and monitor, (ATOMM)
field level implementers of WARN 911, headed by the Chief of Police ofthe cities/municipaities
as Team Leaders with the DILG C/M LGOOs as Co-Team L s arious
GOs and NGOs 7
President, Municipality §
BIMP, NGOs and other affiliated public safety volunteers and civie sector groups.

b. There shall be WARN 911 Barangay-Based Volunteers Service Responders, to be organized in
various components such as the studentry, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, SK and out- of- school youth.

SECTION 5. Institutionalizing the WARN 911 Development Office. -The existing DILG
PATROL “117” Development Group activated by the DILG under the PATROL “117”
Commission, is hereby institutionalized to implement the WARN 911 Program, which shall
consist of uniformed personnel of the interior sector, and non-uniform plantilla of the WARN 911.

a. The Streetwatch Plantilla and [ACCAG Plantilla now of the DILG shall be transferred
to the WARN 911 Development Office and shall be called WARN 911 Plantilla, subject
to revision.

b. The said unit shall be headed by a Director with an equivalent plantilla of Director IV.
to be appointed by the President, upon recommendation by the Secretary of the Interior and
Local Government, subject to Civil Service rules and regulations.

c. The WARN 911 Development unit shall be staffed with personnel, subject to existing
Civil Service rules and regulations.

d. The organization of the WARN 911 Development office shall have parallel structure in
the regional level, headed by a Regional Officer, and in the field level as necessary to
monitor in the province, city and municipality of barangay operations.


SECTION 6. The WARN 911 Commission. ~ The present PATROL “117” Commission as per
Presidential Administrative Order No.36 dated 03 May 2002, in conjunction with Presidential
Administrative Order No.124 dated 02 June 2003 is hereby renamed as WARN 911 Commission
and shall continue to exist.

The Commission shall be headed by:

1, The DILG Secretary / Chairman of NAPOLCOM, as Chairman
2. The DND, DOST, and DICT Secretaries as Vice Chairmen
‘The Commission members are:

a, The Government Sector

The Department of Education

The Commission on Higher Education
The MMDA

The DSWD

PHILVOCS

PAGASA

b. The Private Sector

* Representatives from the telecommunication companies given legislative franchise
+ The Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP)

+ Representatives from television networks granted legislative franchises

+ The Philippine National Red Cross

c. Four other members, to be selected by the Chairman from the private sector/organization.
SECTION 7. Functions of WARN 911:

1. Prepare and recommend for the approval of the President proposals, measures and thrust that
would effectively respond to the national security and development interest.

2. Prepare and recommend policy on crime prevention, public safety operations of volunteers and
stakeholders

3. Perform such other duties and functions as the President may direct.
SECTION 8. Functions of WARN 911 Development Office:

1. Responsible in planning and implementation of the WARN 911 Program.
2. Institutionalize the hotline 911 as a nationwide network.

3. Institutionalize the localized Service Responders Network.

4, Institutionalize the ATOMM Team Network (in every city and municipality).



5, Institutionalize the Barangay-Based Volunteer Service Responders Network.

6. Conduct review, readiness test, monitor and evaluate the response capability of all systems in
911 operations.

7. The WARN 911 Development unit is the Secretariat of the WARN 911 Commission.

8. Undertake such other duties as the Commission may direct.

SECTION 9. Coordination with the National and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Councils. - The WARN 911 Development Office shall coordinate with the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the corresponding Local
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs) to address, prevent and mitigate
a potential or existing disasters in the community.

SECTION 10. Involvement of Other Agencies of the Government. — All Government Agencies
are stakeholders in the promotion of peace and order, public safety and disaster risk reduction and
response. Hence, it shall provide necessary support in the general advocacy and the
implementation of the Program.

ined

CTION 11. Participation of the Private Sector. All Private Sectors and NGOs are enj
to actively participate in whatever capacity to advocate crime prevention and public safety.

CTION 12. Calls Free of Charge. The Secretary of Information and Communications
‘echnology shall formulate and issue appropriate implementing rules and regulations necessary in
ensuring that no fees are charged to callers of WARN 911. Provided that the WARN 911 hotline
may be availed of by callers with zero (0) credit balance. Provided further that the access to the
emergency call may be channeled through the cellular networks with the strongest coverage
available within the area during the absence of network coverage of the caller’s home network

SECTION 13. Penalties for prank and mate calls. Any person accessing 911 for the
purpose of making a prank call, false alarm, deceitful complaint, or giving untrue information shall
be subjected to the following penalties:

L.A fine of P5,000 for the first offense;

2. The suspension of the network subscription of the caller and a fine of P10,000 for the
second offense:

3. The suspension of the network subscription of the caller, a fine of P20,000 and
imprisonment for a period of fifteen (15) days to thirty (30) days at the discretion of the
court;

4. The suspension of the network subscription of the caller, a fine of P50,000 and an
imprisonment for a period of one month and one day to six months, at the discretion of the
court for the succeeding offenses.


Section 14. Non-applicability of RA 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Act. A call made to WARN
911 constitutes as a waiver by the caller for the protection granted by RA 4200 and the recording
of the call shall be available as evidence against the caller.

Further, any telecommunications company may be compelled through a subpoena duces tecum
issued by a duly authorized government agency to disclose the name, location, among other details,
of the owner or subscriber of the telephone line where any act contrary to the provisions of the
preceding section was established to have originated.

SECTION 15. Fundit Initial budget of the operations of WARN 911 Development Office
shall be sourced from the savings of the Department of the Interior and Local Government allotted
to the PATROL “117” Commission and from the community-based funds. Thereafter, funding
requirements shall be included in the regular appropriation of the concemed Department,

TION 16. Implementing Rules and Guidelines, ~ The Secretary of Interior and Local
Government shall formulate and issue appropriate implementing rules and regulations necessary
in the efficient and effective implementation of any and all of the provisions of this Order.

SI ON 17. Repealing Clause. — All other executive issuances inconsistent with this Order are
hereby amended, repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 18, Effectivity. ~ This act shall take effect after 15 days following its publication in
the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation,

Approved,