Basty Askri sorry for outburst over 911 response delay after father’s heart attack

Actor and performer Basty Askri apologized after he previously expressing anger over the delayed response from the country’s 911 emergency hotline when his 70-year-old father suffered a heart attack and eventually died.

In a post on Aug. 15, Askri said he spent nearly 10 minutes calling 911 before someone answered. He also claimed that after the call was answered, he heard people “laughing and chatting” in the background while he was seeking emergency assistance.

Askri, who has appeared on television programs including “I Can See Your Voice” and “TiktoClock,” said he had to personally perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on his father because the ambulance took longer to arrive.

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“Ang tagal kong nag-CPR habang hinihintay namin ang ambulansya. 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,” he lamented. 

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Askri emphasized that he made the post to raise awareness and call attention to the problems in the country’s emergency response system.

“I post this hindi dahil nagtatantrums ako or what. Pinost ko to dahil gusto ko marealize ninyo na dapat lang magalit kayo sa kabulukan na sistema ng Pinas,” he said. “Nagmumura ako kasi galit ako.”

On Aug. 16, Askri issued an apology saying he was “filled with anger, grief, and confusion” after his post became viral on social media.

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“I would like to sincerely apologize for the inappropriate words I used regarding the 911 hotline. I was extremely emotional and overwhelmed by what was happening to my father at that time. I’m very sorry po,” he began the post. 

The 2024 Great Man of the Universe Philippines candidate said he later learned that the patient transport vehicle (PTV) from their barangay was not the ambulance dispatched by 911.

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Askri narrated that his 911 call ended at 12:18 p.m. on Aug. 15. About two to three minutes after he saw that his father had become unconscious, his brother went to the barangay hall to seek assistance. Barangay responders then went to their home, and the family brought his father to the hospital using the barangay PTV.

Askri said he could not confirm what happened to the ambulance associated with the 911 response because his family was already at the hospital by the time it responded to their call at 12:38 p.m.

The actor-performer said he will opt not to discuss the case further as he did not want to make more assumptions while authorities investigate the incident.

“Ako at ang pamilya ko po ay nagdesisyon na huwag na munang sumagot sa mga katanungan tungkol sa incident na ito. Ayaw na rin po naming gumawa ng karagdagang assumptions o accusations habang iniimbestigahan ang nangyari,” he expressed.

“If there were failures or delays in the emergency response, hayaan po nating imbestigahan ng mga authorities kung ano talaga ang nangyari at kung ano ang kailangang ayusin sa sistema,” he added.

The King of the World Philippines 2025 candidate concluded his post by expressing his wish that no other family could experience what they had to go through.

DILG and Taguig government’s response

The Taguig City government on Aug. 16 issued a statement on the incident, saying its Taguig Command Center received a call from the Unified 911 at 12:17 p.m. on Aug. 15 requesting ambulance assistance for a possible heart attack case in Barangay Maharlika Village.

According to the city government, the information provided by 911 contained only a lot and block number, without a street address or landmark. The Taguig Command Center said it tried to obtain the patient’s complete address from 911 but was unable to do so.

The command center also attempted to contact the caller’s number provided by 911, but the calls went unanswered, they said.

It then contacted Barangay Maharlika Village and Barangay Upper Bicutan for immediate assistance.

Several of Askri’s relatives went to the Maharlika barangay hall, after which the barangay dispatched its PTV. The patient was taken to Taguig-Pateros District Hospital and arrived at 12:43 p.m.

The patient received medical intervention and resuscitative measures but was declared dead at 1:24 p.m.

Meanwhile, an ambulance from Upper Bicutan went to the Maharlika barangay hall to obtain details about the patient. It was informed that the patient had already been brought to the hospital.

The Taguig City government said its relevant offices are prepared to cooperate with any official investigation into the incident.

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The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is likewise investigating the reported delay in the response to Askri’s emergency call, chief Jonvic Remulla told Inquirer. /edv