CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon said the city should invest in air quality equipment that would help determine the amount of pollutants in the city’s air.
This he said after the Citizen’s Hour of the City Council’s regular session on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.
In the Citizen’s Hour, the City Environment and Natural Resources (Cenro) and the Environment Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) discussed the quality of air in Cebu City.
Dizon said it was necessary to know the level of air pollution in the city because respiratory illnesses are one of the rampant diseases among Cebu City residents.
“It is crucial for the city government to craft policies and programs that would help lower the levels of air pollution. I strongly enjoin the executive department through CCENRO to purchase air quality monitoring equipment to monitor air quality and protect public health,” he said.
He urged Mayor Edgardo Labella to allot a budget for the equipment and prioritize the health of the residents.
He said if the city has the money to extend aid to disaster-struck provinces, then the city must have the funds to protect its own citizens.
Engineer Glory Rose Manatad of Cenro said that the city used to have air quality monitoring equipment purchased in 2015, but these were already destroyed.
The Cenro asked for a budget to repair the equipment, but the budget was slashed.
Without the equipment, it is difficult for the Cenro to identify the actual pollution level of the city.
Engineer Arthur Calupig of the EMB agreed with Manatad and said it is difficult to exactly determine the pollution level of the air in Cebu City without the proper equipment.
However, he said the pollution in Cebu island is mainly caused by mobile pollutants comprising at least 82 percent of pollutants. He said the EMB-7 already said they are coordinating with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) regarding the pollution in the urban areas.
The Cenro said initiatives have been put in place to reduce the pollution as well such as tree planting activities.
Dizon said the city has to take seriouspy the issue of air pollution before it becomes worse and irreversible. /rcg