CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera is urging the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transporation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to check on the exhaust emission of vehicles before the city’s quarantine classification be downgraded further.
Garganera, who also serves as the deputy chief implementor of the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) of the Interagency Task Force (IATF) in Cebu City, said that one of the concerns should the city be downgraded to a general community quarantine (GCQ) from the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) would be the expected traffic congestion on the streets and pollution.
“We will really expect traffic [congestion] once the city is under GCQ. But what is more concerning is the quality of the air. We all know that pollution is a factor in respiratory health,” said the EOC czar.
For the councilor, the respiratory health of the public is of greatest importance especially amidst the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Garganera urged the LTO and LTFRB to be strict with the checking of exhaust emission of vehicles prior so as to make sure that only those that pass the smoke-belching tests will be able to travel around the city.
He said that smoke-belching should be strictly monitored on the streets as violators often easily get away due to the lack of monitoring and apprehension.
“Be strict about it. Bantayi ang mga dalan,” the councilor said.
(Monitor the streets.)
Garganera said this should not be difficult as checkpoints are still being deployed around the city even during GCQ.
He hopes that this issue may be addressed by the transportation agencies before the easing of the quarantine status so that there is a lesser chance for the public to acquire respiratory problems. /bmjo
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