500 Calls a Day About Violence Against Women and Children — That's What the Philippines' 911 Hotline Gets, and It's Getting Worse

The Philippines' unified 911 emergency hotline receives up to 500 calls daily related to violence against women and children — a staggering number that the DILG says has been climbing steadily since the system went fully operational.

Emergency 911 National Office executive director Francis Fajardo shared the data at a DILG Kapihan forum on Friday. Before the unified system launched, the hotline received only about 5,000 VAWC cases per year. Now it's logging roughly 5,000 to 6,000 monthly — a tenfold increase that officials attribute to greater awareness, not necessarily more violence.

The overall system now handles around 30,000 emergency calls daily nationwide across all types of concerns, with a call handling efficiency of 98%. Cases involving ongoing physical abuse are immediately referred to police, while non-urgent VAWC reports may be endorsed to barangay desks.

On the ground level, the National Barangay Operations Office reported that 97% of barangays — that's 40,831 out of roughly 42,000 — now have functional VAWC desks with trained officers. 'They provide the initial response para doon sa mga victims ng violence against women and children,' said assistant division chief Lovesita Daumar.

The forum was held ahead of National Women's Month in March. While the rising call volume is alarming, DILG officials see it as a positive sign — more victims are speaking up rather than suffering in silence. 'Tumaas na ang mga tawag,' Fajardo said. And every call answered is potentially a life saved.

Source: GMA News