(Photo from: Rafael Alunan III FB Page)
President Rodrigo Duterte plans to put up a national hotline where all Filipinos can call for complaints. He mentioned this during his first official cabinet meeting on Thursday. He added that the number to call will be “8888”.
He said:
“It will be manned by 10 operators covering the entire country. The number is 8888. They can report to me any complaint and there will be a manager that will redirect their complaint to the proper office.”
The plan somewhat resembles that of Davao City’s Central 911. However, the 911 number handles emergency calls and not citizen complaints. When someone calls the Central 911, police emergency assistance is sent out by dispatching nearby mobile units where the emergency is.
For the 8888 number, complaints received will be sent out to proper government agencies for immediate action.
During his campaign, he already mentioned the intention of having a national Central 911. Could this be the start?
We tried calling the number, but since it’s still in the works, it’s not yet operational.
Hopefully, this be implemented soon so that we all know how to reach the president for any complaints of abuses or exploitation.
When the number gets live, we just want to remind everyone to be responsible and avoid calling it for pranks. Let’s keep the lines open so important calls can connect.
What do you think of having a national hotline? Will it be effective? What can you suggest?
