By Jonathan Hicap
The Taguig City government clarified its response to a 911 emergency call involving a 70‑year‑old man who suffered a heart attack in Barangay Maharlika Village on August 15, after actor and performer Basty Askri criticized the hotline and emergency services in a viral post.
In its statement, the city said the Unified 911 relayed the request for ambulance assistance to the Taguig Command Center at 12:17 p.m. but only provided a lot and block number without a street address or landmark.
Efforts to obtain the complete address from 911 and to reach the caller went unanswered.
The Command Center then coordinated with Barangay Maharlika Village and Barangay Upper Bicutan for immediate assistance.
Relatives of the patient sought help at the barangay hall, prompting the deployment of a patient transport vehicle (PTV).
The patient was brought to the Taguig‑Pateros District Hospital at 12:43 p.m., where resuscitative measures were administered. He was declared dead at 1:24 p.m.
An ambulance from Upper Bicutan also responded but was informed the patient had already been taken to the hospital.
The city government stressed that relevant offices are ready to cooperate with any official investigation into the incident.
On August 16, Askri issued a public apology for his earlier remarks.
“I’m sincerely sorry for the inappropriate words I used regarding 911, and I’m also sorry for the confusion regarding the barangay ambulance. We were scared, we were grieving, and we were trying to save my father’s life,” he said.
He explained that his emotional reaction stemmed from fear and anger, and admitted he had misunderstood which ambulance was dispatched.
Barangay Captain Hareem Pautin later clarified that a PTV is different from an ambulance: the former is used only for transporting non‑critical patients and lacks heavy medical equipment, while an ambulance is equipped with oxygen, a stretcher, a defibrillator, and trained medical personnel.
