Prank calls to emergency services now a serious offense

‎CEBU, Philippines — Prank calls and false alarms directed at emergency response units may soon be treated as a serious offense in Mandaue City.

‎The Mandaue City Council has approved on first reading an ordinance prohibiting prank calls, malicious communications, and false emergency reports made to the city’s official emergency hotlines and command systems.

‎"Naay uban naay manawag magpa respond niya wala diay to," said Councilor Jennifer del Mar, author of the proposed measure.

‎She said that aside from wasting the time of emergency responders, such incidents also waste city resources, as response teams are deployed only to find that the report is a prank or not true.

‎"We take that very seriously diri sa Mandaue City," Del Mar said.

‎Del Mar said there would be no series of offense warnings under the ordinance, noting that violators would face an immediate penalty of ?5,000 once caught making prank calls or reporting false emergencies.

‎"Inig adto kung di tinuod iyang report perhaps we will investigate and penalize," she said, adding that the city has recorded numerous cases of prank calls and false alarms.

‎She expressed concern that emergency responders are being diverted from legitimate incidents, noting that there are many real emergencies in the city that require attention, but resources are instead being drawn to prank or bogus calls.

‎"We want to make sure that they know that we are serious on this matter when it comes to response," Del Mar said.

‎Based on the draft ordinance, the proposed measure --titled the “Mandaue City Anti-Prank Emergency Communications Ordinance”-- seeks to protect the integrity and efficiency of the city’s emergency communication systems.

‎‎The ordinance defines prank calls as communications made to emergency hotlines that provide false, fabricated, misleading, or fictitious information, or those intended to disrupt emergency response operations. It also covers malicious communications, including abusive, threatening, or harassing language directed at emergency operators or responders, as well as knowingly making false emergency reports involving crimes, accidents, fires, disasters, or medical emergencies.

‎Aside from the ?5,000 penalty, offenders may also be required to attend a disaster risk reduction and management awareness seminar conducted by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

‎The ordinance provides that minors and their parents or guardians will be held liable in accordance with existing laws, including Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

‎Enforcement will be carried out by the Mandaue City Command Center in coordination with the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies. The ordinance also allows coordination with telecommunications providers, subject to data privacy and due process requirements. — (FREEMAN)