Residents in the Philippines who wish to file complaints against public officials can now send a text message to a new dedicated help line.
The 8888 Citizens Complant Center (CCC) from Globe Telecoms now accepts grievances through short messaging system (SMS) or text messages.
This new help line for the public will receive all complaints and endorse them to relevant government departments for investigation and appropriate action.
“Those who are corrupt, lazy, incompetent in the government, be forewarned. You are now one text away,” said President Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque.
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Roque said the new platform or communication channel, which had its soft launch last November 3, would give a boost to the good governance drive of the Duterte administration.
“Citizens can now simply text 8888 from both Globe and Smart and their affiliate telcos and raise their concerns, complaints and grievances on graft and corrupt practices by government officials and employees and slow and inefficient delivery of government services and requests for government assistance — free of charge,” he said.
In a separate statement, Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu commended the Office of the President (OP) and urged its customers to support the government’s initiative.
“We commend the Office of the President in providing the public another opportunity to send in their concerns, and for the government to answer them right away or guide them towards the national government agency best suited to address their concerns,” Cu said, as per reports from Philippine News Agency.
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In 2018, the Duterte administration also launched the Emergency 911 Hotline as the nationwide emergency answering point, replacing Patrol 117 to conform to international standards through Executive Order (EO) No. 56.
The Emergency 911 National Hotline Call Center will be under the supervision of the Department of the Interior and Local Government with local government units enjoined to establish and run their respective local 911 call centers.
