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.”