In the light of everyday uncertainties and possible emergencies, mobile service operator Sun Cellular has stepped up to arm its subscribers with a free 24/7 access to emergency hotline numbers through their mobile phones.

By dialling *922#, Sun Cellular postpaid and prepaid subscribers get directed to a menu of the country’s top agencies for emergency response, police assistance, road and traffic updates, text donation services, as well as the network’s own customer care channels. Once they make a selection, subscribers will be automatically linked to a display numbers and contact details which would correspond to agency of their choice.

“Especially in times of emergencies and disasters, we hope to provide our subscribers the assurance of having easy access to important hotline numbers which they could call anytime for quick help and assistance,” says Reuben Pangan, official spokesperson of Sun Cellular.

“Since we wanted to make this available to all our subscribers, regardless of their handset model and their type of subscription, we have designed this short-code to not require the use of data services and to basically run through an active 2G connection. Accessing this free directory would just be equivalent to placing a regular call,” explains Pangan.

Among the hotline numbers that are included in this *922# service are those of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) which chiefly responds during calamities and large-scale national disasters, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and even the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In addition, this hotline directory includes the syntax for Sun Cellular’s text donation service for the Philippine Red Cross. For possible concerns and inquiries on the network’s services, Sun has also incorporated in this directory a list of its own customer care channels.

Pangan further revealed that this is an extension of Sun Cellular’s customer care programs and public service initiatives. “This is our way of embracing our role in information dissemination, especially through the nation’s most challenging times.”

In its latest press statement, Sun Cellular has already noted a major spike in the usages for this free directory service amidst the recent monsoon and Typhoon Maring that struck the country’s capital and major parts of Luzon.