Unified 911 logs 500 VAWC-related calls daily

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday said the government’s unified 911 emergency hotline receives up to 500 calls daily related to violence against women and children (VAWC).

At the DILG Kapihan forum, Emergency 911 National Office executive director Francis Fajardo said the call handling efficiency of the system has improved to 98%.

“As of last year, we have yearly recorded calls. Ang natatanggap natin dyan, almost 5,000 cases before the launching. Medyo mababa pa yan we observed,” Fajardo said.

(As of last year, we have yearly recorded calls. What we received was almost 5,000 cases before the launching. That is still quite low, we observed.)

“But ngayon talagang tumaas na ang mga tawag na ‘yan. In one year, nasa 5,000. Monthly, siguro approximately 500 ngayon, from January to December. Iyan ang mga latest data natin,” he added.

(But now those calls have really increased. In one year, it is 5,000. Monthly, probably approximately 500 now, from January to December. That is our latest data.)

Fajardo said the hotline now receives a total of around 30,000 emergency calls daily nationwide for different concerns.

Cases involving ongoing physical abuse are immediately referred to the police for immediate response, while non-urgent concerns may be endorsed to barangay VAWC desks.

Meanwhile, the DILG’s National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) said nearly all barangays nationwide now have functional VAWC desks.

NBOO assistant division chief Lovesita Daumar said 97% or 40,831 barangays are considered compliant with five indicators for VAWC desks.

“Installed po dito yung barangay VAWC officer natin and they should be trained so that they know what to do because they will provide the initial response para doon sa mga victims ng violence against women and children,” she said.

“These VAW desk officers are trained and qualified. They provide initial response to victims and coordinate with partners such as the Philippine National Police,” Daumar said.

The forum was held ahead of the National Women's Month in March. —VAL, GMA Integrated News