QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – Starting Wednesday, March 29, QCitizens can now request for emergency assistance services at the  City Government’s Helpline 122.

This, as Mayor Joy Belmonte essentially demonstrated the city’s strong initiative to foster citizen involvement at a local level through reinforcing the efficiency of its response mechanisms. 

“We hope that through our reinforced Helpline 122, we can encourage QCitizen’s to participate  and air their concerns on the affairs of the city for us to improve and provide a value-added public service to them and to those who visit, transact, and do business in our city,” said Belmonte, stressing the importance of this initiative to the realization of her 14-point agenda that draws on the urgency to ‘listen to our citizens and understand what they need.’ 

Since its inception in 2016, the City’s emergency hotline is being operationalized to directly communicate with the residents regarding their immediate needs during natural or man-made disasters so it can be properly endorsed to the respective office or department of concern. 

With the inclusion of a feedback channel in the communications system, the constituents are now able to contribute to the improvement of the frontline services of the city by reporting on their experiences such as encounters of alleged corrupt practices within the jurisdiction of the local government. 

Among the range of primary services offered in QCitizen Helpline 122 are emergency and public assistance to COVID-19 related concerns, cases of domestic violence, queries about the in-city social projects, and other concerns that require priority attention. 

Meanwhile, Action Officer of the Quezon City Services Department Carlos Verzonilla highlighted that they also deploy call taker agents in a work from home set up to accommodate more callers. 

Aside from the complaint center, the direct lines of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) have likewise been integrated in the helpline to ensure that the requests will be attended within the three-minute response time policy. 

The implementation of the new ticketing system that tracks and identifies each incoming call is also consistently monitored for a more prompt and coordinated delivery of service. 

QCitizen Helpline 122 was effectuated through City Ordinance SP 2029-2010 under the Radio Communications Service (RCS) of the City Mayor’s Office. 

It is the first three-digit emergency and information hotline to be established by a local government unit in Metro Manila with a non-voice counterpart, helpdesk@quezoncity.gov.ph. (PIA-NCR)