Manila: Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Saturday discussed with officials of Western and Central Visayas and Negros Island Region strategies and operations implementation for the five-minute response time. Torre visited Camp Martin Delgado in this city, headquarters of the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas, and was received by Director Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky.

According to Philippines News Agency, Torre emphasized the need to focus and delineate their strategies since there are urban and rural areas in Visayas, noting that officials should know what is happening on the ground and what services need to be delivered. He mentioned in a media interview that officials could assess the needs of the people, particularly in hinterland villages, to determine if the five-minute response is necessary.

The five-minute response time is initiated upon the dispatch of responders after the information is received at the command center. All calls via hotline 911 are received by the command center at Camp Crame in the National Capital Region, unless the information is captured by 911-Cebu for Visayas areas.

Torre assured that officers would respond regardless of whether the call was a prank, but he warned that perpetrators would be caught and their numbers might be blocked. He also noted the possibility that prank callers could lose access to help even if they truly need it.