Bohol’s top disaster official and the vice governor are resisting a request from the interior secretary to replace the province’s TARSIER 117 emergency hotline with the national 911 system, saying the local service works and cannot be scrapped without legislative action.
Anthony Damalerio, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Oct. 20 that TARSIER 117 should be kept and strengthened, not replaced.
Vice Gov. Nic Besas said the same day that any change would require extensive deliberation by the provincial board, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, because it would mean amending the ordinance that made the hotline a permanent provincial service.
The dispute began Oct. 15, when Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla asked Bohol to switch to 911 during a visit to the province.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has said the national hotline is meant to speed up and improve emergency response.
Damalerio made his case in an interview on the DYTR program “Kwentas Klaras,” saying TARSIER 117 is firmly “in place” and now reaches down to the barangay level.
He pointed to its years of active emergency response, which he said have earned it a number of citations and successes.
He said the unit has been strengthened since it was launched under the administration of former Gov. Edgar Chatto.
Damalerio said his team is “highly trained” and delivers “utmost service.” He said officials from other areas have come to Bohol to use the system as a “benchmark.”
He questioned why a functioning system should be changed at all.
“It is a working system, and all of the sudden it is replaced with 911, which probably isn’t good either,” Damalerio said, in remarks delivered in a mix of English and Cebuano.
He said the unit needs backing from the province, not replacement by another system. He hoped provincial leaders would listen to public sentiment, but said his office would wait for the final decision. He also thanked Boholanos who have supported the office and opposed the DILG’s move.
Ordinance would need amending
Besas said replacing TARSIER 117 cannot be done easily because the ordinance that institutionalized it would have to be amended. He said the proposal needs deep discussion and deliberation by the provincial board.
The board did not take up Remulla’s request during its Oct. 20 session.
TARSIER 117 stands for Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response. It is the province’s system for emergency rescue, for receiving and dispatching calls for help, and for managing disasters.
Damalerio said it was established in 2011 as the province’s main rescue and emergency unit. Besas said it was created through Executive Order No. 5, series of 2010. It was formally institutionalized through Provincial Ordinance No. 2013-006 under then-Gov. Edgar Chatto. Damalerio said the ordinance gave the unit its legal footing, including its operations and funding.
Motorcycle turnover
Besas attended the Oct. 15 ceremony in Bohol where motorcycles were distributed for the unified 911 emergency response system. Aumentado and board members Nathaniel Binlod and Dionisio Joseph Balite were also there.
Remulla, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and Bureau of Fire Protection chief Fire Chief Supt. Rico Neil Kwan Tiu also took part in the event. Besas said the request to move to 911 came from Remulla during that visit.
Public opposition
Some Boholanos have also spoken against the proposal, with some commenting under the banner “Big no!” They described TARSIER 117 as a well-known local service that the province built and developed to meet the needs of its people.
They said they trust the existing system, which they believe understands the areas and conditions of Bohol’s towns better than a national line would.