City wants strict campaign against smoke belchers

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council wants a stricter enforcement and higher fines for violators of Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act, specifically the provisions against smoke belching motor vehicles.

This came after the Council observed that despite the existence of the law and despite the growing number of accredited Emission Testing Centers in the city, there are still many smoke belching vehicles, particularly private utility vehicles, plying the city streets.

The random roadside emission testing conducted by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 helps, but drivers often warn fellow drivers ahead so they could change routes to avoid the testing team.

LTO 7 and EMB 7 have publicly announced that they would impound vehicles found violating the Clean Air Law after a third offense.

The two agencies shall also confiscate the vehicle’s license plate and the driver’s license and shall collect a fine of P1,000 to P5,000.

Before the vehicle is released, the owner is mandated to submit their vehicle to an LTO-accredited emission testing center and should pass the smoke test.

But these provisions of the law are apparently not enough for some concerned sectors who called on the government to create a more sustainable program for Clean Air and an appropriate sanction that would suspend the vehicle’s registration or franchise.

The old law, according to environmentalists, might have already become inapplicable to vehicles of today that continue violating the said policy.

“To boost public perception on government’s credibility to go after smoke-belching vehicles, the government must show that it is serious and relentless in its campaign,” Councilor Nida Cabrera, chairman of the committee on environment, said.

In her resolution approved by the council, Cabrera urged the Departments of Transportation and Communication and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to review and reexamine the penalties imposed on smoke belching vehicles.

November is considered Clear Air Month. It was declared under Presidential Proclamation No. 1109 issued in 1997.

The celebration seeks to remind people of the need for a solution to the growing air pollution in the city. (FREEMAN)