Environmentalists want 1 million ‘clean air warriors’

MANILA, Philippines - Concerned groups have launched a campaign to sign up at least a million Filipinos to volunteer as “clean air warriors.”

The Coalition of Clean Air Advocates of the Philippines (CCAAP) and the Private Hospital Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) spearheaded the campaign.

“The clean air warrior project is a volunteer program for nationalistic and patriotic Filipinos who want to stand up for their right to breathe clean air,” CCAAP chairman and former Philippine Medical Association president Leo Olarte said.

“A clean air warrior pledges to champion the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 also known as Republic Act 8749. A clean air warrior volunteers to work for cleanliness and righteousness in our nation towards the final attainment of a better and clean Philippines for our people,” he said.

“Our core strategy in gathering a million volunteers nationwide – to battle air pollution and push for righteousness – is based on the power of new technologies and the social media,” he added.

He said telecommunications companies are claiming that 80 million of the more than 100 million Filipinos own cellular phones.

“Some even say that the texting capital of the world is the Philippines. We intend to take advantage of all these realities to organize, communicate and mobilize our clean air warriors into sustainable actions in order to attain our goals for a clean Philippines,” he said.

“We therefore are calling on all our patriotic and nationalistic countrymen to join us in our fight for a clean Philippines.”

Those wishing to volunteer may simply download “Clean Air Philippines” free apps from Google play and register.

“Work with us in our effort to take away smoke-belching motor vehicles from our streets. It is the culprit that causes 80 percent of air pollution in Metro Manila and our urban centers nationwide,” he said.

“The pollutants they emit cause respiratory and cardiovascular (heart attack, stroke, sudden death) diseases in man,” he pointed out.

The Philippines is among the countries considered most vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change, he said.

CCAAP trustee and Climate Change Commissioner Heherson Alvarez lauded the CCAAP and PHAPI for launching the clean air warrior campaign.

“The clean air warrior project is a very timely initiative in relation to the Philippines’ own commitment to cut down on our overall carbon (greenhouse gas) emission to 70 percent by 2030,” Alvarez said.

PHAPI president Rustico Jimenez appealed to the public for support for the clean air warrior project.