Davao City council approves GPS-based call tracking for emergency response
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 28 November) – An ordinance establishing the emergency dispatch system designed to reduce response time by using the global positioning system (GPS) to pinpoint the exact location of distressed callers was approved on final reading last Tuesday.
The new measure, known as Davao Smart Emergency Response and Locator–Computer-Aided Response and Emergency Dispatch (SERAL-CARED System Ordinance), seeks to introduce a “GPS-enabled, geospatially integrated, and digitally coordinated platform for faster, more efficient dispatch and accurate caller location tracking.”
In a text message on Thursday, Rodolfo Encabo, assistant head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Davao City Central 911’s Command Center is flooded with prank or hoax emergency calls daily, and the SERAL-CARED system could help reduce them.
He noted that as of Thursday, Central 911 had already received 28,000 prank calls.
Under the ordinance, a SERAL-CARED System and Emergency Application, a mobile application to enable Dabawenyos to call for emergency assistance with embedded GPS location, will be developed.
“This will greatly help reduce prank calls to the 911 Call Center through the newly passed ordinance. The system can capture the location of the caller and manage all inbound calls,” he said in Cebuano.
Encabo added that the local government will purchase equipment to operationalize the new system. Full implementation is projected for the first quarter of next year.
Section 12 of the ordinance penalizes the misuse of the SERAL-CARED System and Emergency Application with prank or hoax emergency calls. Giving false or misleading information is listed among the prohibited acts.
Other prohibited acts include sending false GPS signals or fake incident reports through the emergency app; unauthorized tampering, hacking, or accessing the system without permission; using the emergency app to harass, defraud, or cause undue alarm to responders or the public; and repeated non-emergency use of the emergency app that disrupts operations or misallocates public safety resources.
Violators will be issued a written warning and mandatory attendance in a digital citizenship or public safety orientation program for the first offense; a P2,000 fine or eight hours of community service related to emergency response education for the second offense; and a P5,000 fine and/ or imprisonment of up to 30 days at the discretion of the court for the third offense.
Parents or guardians of violators aged below 18 years old will bear “responsibility/liability for the damages caused by their children/wards.”
The system will use geospatial mapping of barangays, access roads, high-risk areas, and informal settlements. It will include a barangay geo-tagging registry, creating a digital inventory of interior paths, structures, and landmarks.
It will also enable responders to monitor the real-time location of ambulances, fire trucks, and field personnel. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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