MANILA, Feb. 8 -- Provincial governors must acquire motorcycles for local police to ensure immediate response to reports through the country's 911 emergency hotline, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.

In a news release on Saturday, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the purchase of new motorcycles would allow the police to quickly verify the legitimacy of reported incidents, considering that 60 percent of total reports to 911 were prank calls.

"Ito lang ang hihilingin ko sa inyo: Bumili na kayo ng motorsiklo. Bigay n'yo sa mga pulis para sila lang muna ang magve-verify kung legitimate ang tawag o hindi (I ask you for only one thing: Buy motorcycles. Give that to the police and let them verify if the call is...