Significant drop in Baguio 911 prank calls, reported

The Baguio Smart City Command Center’s (SC3) accomplishment report for January 1 to August 31, 2023, revealed that the number of prank calls to the ‘Baguio 911’ emergency hotline has dramatically declined as compared to those made during the same period last year.

During the regular management committee meeting, Sept. 12, of city officials led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Management Information Technology Division (MITD) information systems analyst II Adam Bert Lacay said 2,670 prank calls were made during the eight-month period this year as compared to a whopping 9,788 in 2022 or a decrease of 72.72 percent.

A prank call is a telephone call intended by the caller as a practical joke played on the person answering and is considered as a type of nuisance call.

Last year, two persons were charged before the City Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly making a series of prank calls to Baguio 911 and cases of unjust vexation were filed against them for “irritating, disturbing and annoying numerous prank calls on the line intended for emergencies and contingencies.”

They also faced charges for violation of Presidential Decree 1727 “Declaring as Unlawful the Malicious Dissemination of False Information.”

Earlier, the Mayor warned that calls made through Baguio 911, which started operations in October of 2021, can be traced and tagged and that perpetrators are liable under applicable laws.

The SC3 is currently under the supervision of the City Mayor’s Office’s MITD led by Information Analyst III Patrick Vinluan and has three main programs and activities: Smart City Operations (SCO); Research, Maintenance and Project Development (RMPD); and General Administrative Support (GAS).

SCO include Emergency Telecommunications where 24/7 call taking and call report generation are conducted; CCTV Playback and Extraction Services where video monitoring/playback/ extraction as critical video evidence in the resolution of incidents as the need arises are made; Dashboard Monitoring and Management where 24/7 regular monitoring, management and analytics generation with the Smart City platform are done.

In the RMDP are Special Projects like Monitoring of Indicators for Efficient Redevelopment and Value Assessment and Flood Early Warning System; Technical Support and Maintenance for network management and maintenance, and more; Project Development like video surveillance system enhancement and maintenance project, and others. Its GAS program includes visits of guests from LGUs and other sectors for tours and benchmarking; recording of processed papers like payroll, and more; conduct of training like cybersecurity, file storage system, crisis hotline, and others. – Gaby B. Keith