EDITORIAL - Corruption and pollution

Nearly 13 years after the Clean Air Act or Republic Act 8749 was signed into law, a group organized a summit recently to address the worsening air pollution in Metro Manila. The organizers are not strictly environmental advocates, but people who confront daily the consequences of poor air quality: physicians.

Members of the Philippine Medical Association told the Clean Air Summit that there has been a noticeable increase in the number of consultations concerning illnesses affected by air quality, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The doctors reminded the public that air pollution kills, but before death, those suffering from pollution-related illnesses first incur huge hospital expenses compounded by the loss of income due to sickness.

Passed in 1999, RA 8749 was supposed to pave the way for a comprehensive air pollution control policy. The doctors, however, observed that the law has failed to achieve its objectives due to poor enforcement aggravated by corruption. Despite stringent provisions in RA 8749, air quality in Metro Manila has not improved in the past 13 years and may have even worsened due to the continuing increase in the number of motor vehicles. The problem is also worsening in several other key urban centers in the country.

The doctors called for a readjustment of policies for better implementation of the Clean Air Act. They also emphasized the need for strict enforcement of laws on motor vehicle emissions, which are supposed to undergo testing before annual registration. The doctors estimate that up to 80 percent of air pollution in Metro Manila comes from motor vehicles. You don’t need a testing device to see many vehicles – particularly trucks, buses, jeepneys and motorcycles – fouling up the air with black, toxic emissions.

The doctors noted that regular exposure to carbon monoxide increased susceptibility to heart disease. It also impaired vision, learning ability, manual dexterity and capacity for work. At the end of the summit, participants signed a covenant pushing for cleaner air in Metro Manila. The covenant will be submitted to President Aquino, who must give priority to a problem that causes death, illness and low national productivity. Improving enforcement of the Clean Air Act should not be an impossible task.