The Mandaue City government is drafting an ordinance to impose stiff penalties on individuals who misuse emergency hotlines for prank or malicious calls, aiming to protect emergency response resources from hoax reports.
Proposed penalties for false reports
Under the proposed measure, anyone found making fraudulent calls to emergency response centers will face a fine of P5,000 for each violation, with penalties imposed on the first offense. The ordinance was drafted after repeated false alarms disrupted emergency operations, according to Mandaue City Councilor Jennifer Del Mar, chairperson of the Committee on Women and Family.
Impact of hoax calls on responders
Emergency responders have answered distress calls that later proved to be fabricated, leaving personnel and equipment tied up while genuine emergencies awaited assistance. "Fake calls and malicious communications come from people living right here in Mandaue," Del Mar said. "There are some who will call out our teams to respond, but when the personnel arrive at the scene, it turns out there is absolutely no emergency. It is nothing but a prank. We made this ordinance because, aside from wasting the precious time of our first responders, these individuals are heavily wasting our government resources."
Risk to public safety
Del Mar emphasized that prank calls place the public at risk because emergency personnel may be unavailable when real emergencies occur. "We have to take this matter very seriously because our emergency responders have an immense volume of actual work to do," she said. "They respond in good faith, only to find out that the report was completely manufactured. Meanwhile, we have genuine, life-threatening emergency situations elsewhere that desperately require our full focus. Instead of attending to citizens who are actually in danger, our teams are forced to focus on these cruel, prank phone calls."
Agencies covered by the ordinance
The proposed ordinance covers emergency response agencies operating in Mandaue City, including national law enforcement and rescue services. "The Philippine National Police (PNP) is explicitly included in our ordinance," Del Mar said. "If an individual reports a false incident to the police and it turns out to be untrue, they will face the same consequences. This does not just apply to our local command center or command office. The PNP, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and all other national agencies operating here are fully integrated into this law."
Investigation process
Enforcement will rely on investigations conducted after responders confirm that a reported incident was false, involving coordination with agencies such as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to identify those responsible. "Once our responders arrive at a reported scene and verify that the call was entirely fraudulent, an investigation will immediately be launched to determine exactly who initiated the report," Del Mar said. "As soon as we identify the person responsible for that call, they will be directly and formally penalized under this ordinance."
Message to the public
City officials said the ordinance is intended to reinforce the importance of using emergency hotlines only for legitimate incidents while protecting emergency personnel and public resources. "We want to make absolutely sure that the public knows we are dead serious on this matter," Del Mar said. "When it comes to emergency response, there is no room for games."
