Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the iMERGEncy mobile app and web portal ("the Service"), operated for the Municipality of Balete, Batangas ("the Municipality", "we", "us") to support emergency reporting and response coordination. By creating an account or using the Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not register or use the Service.

1. Eligibility & Your Account

• You must be a resident of (or otherwise eligible to register under) a barangay served by this Service, and provide accurate personal information and a valid government ID for verification.
• You must be at least 18 years old. Residents under 18 may use the Service only with the knowledge and consent of a parent or legal guardian, who is responsible for their use of it.
• New accounts are reviewed by Barangay officials before being approved; until then, your account status shows as Pending. We may approve, reject, or request more information for any registration.
• You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential, and for all activity on your account. Notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized use. One account per person — do not register on behalf of someone else without their knowledge.
• Information you provide (name, address, ID, medical/assistance flags) must be accurate and kept up to date. Providing false information may result in your account being suspended or disabled.

2. Using SOS Alerts and Incident Reports

• SOS alerts and incident reports must only be used for genuine emergencies or hazards. Repeated false or fraudulent reports are tracked on your account and may lead to suspension or permanent disabling, and may also expose you to liability under applicable Philippine law.
• When you submit a report, you consent to your live location and any attached photos being shared with the relevant Barangay and/or MDRRMO officials for the purpose of responding to it.
• Reports are reviewed and acted on by officials according to their own assessment and available resources. Submitting a report does not guarantee a response, a particular response time, or a particular outcome.
• If you use the AI Analysis option, you understand a submitted photo may be automatically analyzed to help estimate hazard type and severity. This is a decision-support aid for officials, not an automatic verdict, and may be inaccurate. Officials retain final judgment on every report.

3. Voice Calls

Officials may initiate a voice call with you through the app regarding an SOS alert you've sent. These calls are provided through a third-party service (Agora) and may fall back to a plain phone call to your registered number if your device can't receive the in-app call. Please answer promptly when possible — officials use this to confirm your situation and coordinate a response. Call quality depends on your network connection and device. You agree not to record or share calls with officials except as allowed by law.

4. Chat and Content You Submit

• You are responsible for the messages, photos, and other content you submit through the Service (including Chat) and must have the right to submit them.
• You grant the Municipality and its authorized officials permission to use, store, and share that content as needed to receive, verify, and respond to reports, coordinate disaster response, and keep official records, as described in the Privacy Policy.
• Do not submit content that is unlawful, abusive, threatening, or that violates another person's privacy or rights.

5. Prohibited Conduct

• Submitting false SOS alerts, false incident reports, or impersonating another person
• Uploading a government ID that is not your own, or otherwise falsifying identity information
• Using the Service to harass, threaten, or abuse officials or other users (including through Chat)
• Attempting to access accounts, data, or systems you're not authorized to access
• Interfering with or disrupting the Service, or attempting to reverse engineer, scrape, or overload it
• Using the Service for any purpose other than emergency reporting and response coordination

6. Suspension and Termination

Violating these Terms may result in your account being suspended or permanently disabled, at the discretion of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Balete, Batangas or its designated officials. We may also refer serious violations, such as deliberate false reports, to the proper authorities. You may stop using the Service at any time and may request deletion of your account as described in the Privacy Policy, subject to records we are required or permitted by law to retain.

7. App Lock and Device Security

App Lock (PIN and, optionally, your device's fingerprint/face unlock) is an optional, on-device layer of protection you can enable in Settings. It is separate from your account login and is your responsibility to set up and remember — we cannot recover a forgotten App Lock PIN for you beyond the in-app recovery flow (security question or emailed code). You are also responsible for keeping your device secure.

8. Your Data

Our collection, use, storage, and protection of your personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms and is intended to comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173). Your rights as a data subject are explained there.

9. Service Availability and Disclaimer

We aim to keep the Service available and reliable, but it may be temporarily unavailable for maintenance, technical issues, power or network outages, or reasons outside our control, including during the very disasters it is meant to support. The Service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of uninterrupted operation, accuracy of location or AI-generated estimates, or delivery of alerts and messages.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Municipality, its officials, employees, and the developers of the Service are not liable for any loss, injury, or damage resulting from Service downtime, delayed or undelivered reports or messages, inaccurate location or AI analysis, response times, or decisions made by officials or users based on information in the Service. Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under Philippine law.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Significant changes will be reflected here with an updated "Last updated" date, and where appropriate we will notify you through the app. Continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. Any dispute arising from them or from your use of the Service shall be brought before the proper courts of the Province of Batangas, unless the law provides otherwise.

13. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms can be directed to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Municipality of Balete, Batangas, at imergency.balete@gmail.com.