Concerned groups petition government to stop smoke belchers in EDSA

29 April 2010 (Pasig City) – With the May polls just days away, representatives from different organizations located along or near EDSA have signed a petition urging “national and local leaders to mount a serious and sustained enforcement effort to remove smoke belchers along major roads in Metro Manila, starting with EDSA, in the first 100 days after the May elections.”

The petition was signed at the 1st Metro Manila Anti-Smoke Belching Conference, held at the Megatent in Pasig City, and organized by the Metro Manila Anti-Smoke Belching Association (MMASBA) with 17 Local Government Units (LGUs). The event has the full support of several government agencies such as the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The event also witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the uniformity of apprehension procedures by MMASBA, the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO) and other transport groups. There are currently 17 LGU level and 3 national level anti-smoke belching units (ASBUs) in Metro Manila.

“The need to join hands to address air pollution is imperative,” said LTO Chief Bert Suansing. “We all have a stake in this enterprise.” He added that the solution should involve a “holistic us” and not just “you” or “me.”

For Raquel Austria-Naciongayo, MMASBA President, her hope is that the incoming administration will make clean air a priority once again. “We need to put the smoke belching problem back in the public agenda. Air pollution is not limited to direct road side exposure. It spreads to the surrounding neighborhoods. Rich and poor aren’t spared from its effects. This should be a partnership between commuters and the anti-smoke belching units.”

Air pollution is responsible for nearly 5,000 deaths in Metro Manila each year. The nationwide cost of treatment is 962 million pesos annually. Yearly economic losses are even greater – 6.7 billion pesos. People who live within 500 meters from a major road are likely to be exposed to critical levels of air pollution, which implies that these neighborhoods are at a significantly greater risk of asthma, lung diseases, heart attacks, and cancer. Walking, biking or driving along these roads makes people more vulnerable to air pollution … and riding an air conditioned vehicle offers no protection.

“The Partnership for Clean Air (PCA) and the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), launched the Ligtas Hangin campaign last year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Clean Air Act,” said PCA President Rene Pineda. “This year, we want to focus the campaign on smoke belching. By bringing together representatives from village associations, schools, malls, hospitals, we may be able to see real results before the end of the year. Smoke belching affects everyone from all walks of life.”

Former DENR Secretary Bebet Gozun is equally optimistic. “We were able to gather five million signatures in support of the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1999,” she said. “I don’t see why we can’t repeat or surpass that number in the era of Facebook and Twitter. As we gain public support for this initiative, we hope that it will lead to more voluntary compliance by the private sector and more effective enforcement by the government.”

Anti-Smoke Belching (an Earth Day special feature)

As the world celebrates Earth Day (22 April), we often need to remind ourselves that all journeys -- no matter how long and difficult -- always begin with simple steps.

In the case of the Philippines, the Ligtas Hangin ("save the air") campaign for 2010 is focused on getting "smoke belchers" out of Metro Manila's EDSA highway and other major roads. A smoke belcher is the term used for vehicles that do not meet the national emission standards. Ligtas Hangin is being spearheaded by the Partnership for Clean Air, CAI-Asia's country network in the Philippines.


Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA for short) is the Metro Manila's main artery. It is approximately 24kms long, and it cuts across the length of city similar to New York's 5th Avenue or Hong Kong's Nathan Road. EDSA also has great historical significance and symbolism because it was the site of the 1986 People Power Revolution which gave democracy back to Filipinos after a 20-year dictatorship.

Unfortunately, due to increased motorization, EDSA is also heavily polluted with smoke belching buses, trucks, taxis and private vehicles.

The facts speak for themselves:

• Air pollution is responsible for nearly 5,000 deaths in Metro Manila each year. The nationwide cost of treatment is 962 million pesos annually. Yearly economic losses are even greater – 6.7 billion pesos.
  
• People who live within 500 meters from a major road are likely to be exposed to critical levels of air pollution, which implies that these neighborhoods are at a significantly greater risk of asthma, lung diseases, heart attacks, and cancer.
  Walking, biking or driving along these roads makes people more vulnerable to air pollution … and riding an air conditioned vehicle offers no protection.
  

Last week on 13 April, CAI-Asia, through PCA, gathered stakeholders from different organizations (such as homeowner associations, schools, and shopping malls) to draft a petition calling for the government to enforce the Clean Air Act of 1999 and take action to remove smoke belchers from EDSA and other main roads within Metro Manila. With support from the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the petition will be signed on 29 April. It will also be used to highlight the importance of clean air for the upcoming general elections in May 2010, calling for newly elected officials to do something in their first 100 days in office.

But the Ligtas Hangin campaign does not stop there. CAI-Asia would like to take it one step further.

November is clean air month in the Philippines. It is a time when government agencies and civil society groups coordinate activities to raise awareness about air pollution and its link to climate change. CAI-Asia would like to promote the idea of a "clean air month" in other Asian countries.

These are simple steps that make the journey worthwhile.

Happy Earth Day everyone!