Father Dies as Son Allegedly Waits Nearly 10 Minutes for 911 Assistance
911 – What was supposed to be a desperate call for help turned into a heartbreaking loss after a son claimed he waited nearly 10 minutes for 911 assistance.
A grieving son has expressed anger and frustration over what he described as a delayed and inadequate emergency response after his father suffered a medical emergency, sparking discussions online about the country’s Unified 911 system.
In a Facebook post published on Saturday, August 15, netizen Basty Askri recounted his experience while desperately seeking medical assistance for his father. According to Basty, he spent nearly 10 minutes calling 911 before someone finally answered.
“Tnia mo, 911. Tnia mo, Pilipinas.”
Basty claimed that even after his call was answered, he was repeatedly told to “wait.” He also alleged that he could hear laughter and conversations in the background while he was urgently asking for help.
“Halos 10 minutes na akong tumatawag sa 911 pero wala pa ring sumasagot. At nung may sumagot na, putangina, puro “wait”. Rinig na rinig ko pa yung tawanan at chikahan habang may taong nangangailangan ng emergency assistance,” said Basty.
When his father reportedly suffered an attack, Basty said he personally performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for the ambulance.
“Tapos inatake na ang tatay ko. Ako mismo ang nag-CPR sa kanya. Ang tagal kong nag-CPR habang hinihintay namin ang ambulansya,” said Basty.
He further alleged that the ambulance arrived without an automated external defibrillator (AED) and lacked sufficient equipment. He also said no one took over the CPR, leaving him to continue the procedure himself.
“At nung dumating na ang ambulansya, walang AED. Walang sapat na gamit. Walang pumalit sa akin sa pag-CPR. Ako pa rin ang gumagawa ng CPR. Tni*a, ano ‘to?” Basty’s emotional statement.
Basty emphasized that his post was not simply an emotional outburst but an attempt to raise awareness about what he believes are problems within the country’s emergency response system.
“I post this hindi dahil nag-tatantrums ako or what. Pinost ko to dahil gusto ko marealize ninyo na dapat lang magalit kayo sa kabulukan na s[i]stema ng [P]inas. I love [T]aguig apta pky [T]aguig,” said Basty.
“Nagmumura ako kasi galit ako Galit ako dahil naranasan ko mismo kung gaano kahirap humingi ng emergency assistance kapag ang mahal mo sa buhay ay nangangailangan nito. Tni*a at kung di ka pa galit sa systema, bakit?” he added.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) previously announced the nationwide implementation of Unified 911, a single emergency hotline intended to replace more than 30 local emergency numbers. The service is free and available 24/7, with a five-minute target response time.
As of publication, the DILG and Taguig City local government had been contacted for their statements regarding the incident. Neither had issued a response or posted an official statement on their social media pages at the time of writing.
Basty’s account has since drawn attention to the importance of timely emergency assistance and the need for authorities to address concerns surrounding emergency response services.
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