The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) vowed to address any gaps identified in the emergency response involving 71-year-old Omar Askri, who suffered a stroke on August 15 and later passed away, as the Department continues its investigation into the incident.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Jed Patrick E. Mabilog said the Department is committed to establishing the complete facts, determining accountability where warranted, and addressing weaknesses identified in the Unified 911 system and its emergency-response network.

“We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the Askri family. We will continue the investigation, establish the complete facts, correct whatever needs to be corrected, and translate the lessons from this incident into concrete improvements,” Mabilog said.

Mabilog, together with DILG Undersecretary for Public Affairs and Communications Rolando C. Puno and Emergency 911 National Office Executive Director Francis D. Fajardo, personally went to Barangay Maharlika on Monday in an effort to meet with the Askri family. The DILG said it will continue reaching out to the family and directly update them on the results of the investigation.

Based on initial findings, the 911 system recorded a hold time of approximately three minutes and 23 seconds before the call of Mr. Basti Askri, the patient’s nephew, reached the assigned 911 call taker. Within one minute and 25 seconds, a three-way conference call was initiated among the caller, the 911 call taker, and the Taguig Command Center (TCC).

The TCC acknowledged the emergency and committed to dispatch a response vehicle. Initial findings also indicate that the responding team encountered difficulty locating the patient’s exact location and was unable to establish contact with the caller for additional directions.

Mabilog stressed, however, that the exact dispatch time, attempted calls, movement of the response vehicle, and actual arrival time remain subject to verification as the investigation continues.

“If any of our personnel is found na meron silang kakulangan o kasalanan sa incident na ito, definitely they will face legal action from the Department,” Mabilog assured.

“The system works, but every major public safety system must continuously improve,” he said. “We acknowledge the gaps this incident may have revealed, we take responsibility for addressing them, and we will use this experience to build a stronger, faster, better coordinated, and better equipped emergency-response network.”

With Unified 911 currently handling an average of approximately 70,000 calls daily, Mabilog said the Department is also looking into increasing the number of call takers to strengthen capacity and reduce queue times.

He stressed that the volume of calls does not diminish the Department’s responsibility to continuously improve the system and ensure that emergency calls are handled as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“Every gap we identify will make Unified 911 stronger, faster, and better. In an emergency, trust 911,” Mabilog said.

The DILG assured the public that the findings of the investigation will guide the necessary corrective measures to strengthen coordination, response capacity, and accountability across the Unified 911 emergency-response network.