Hassle of haze

It seems like the response is slow with the ongoing issue of transboundary haze and local pollutants contaminating our air. For days, classes were suspended due to “very unhealthy” air quality. Educators complained about how the air disrupted the mode of learning for children when they can't even stay inside the house amid reminders. Once again, our enemy is too small even for the naked eye, just like when we were battling a virus.

The matters are worse in Singapore. I see videos of their tourist destinations being enveloped in smoke while people have to navigate their roads. Others are quick to make fun of how smoking is prohibited in the country, only to be spoofed by their neighbor, Indonesia. Spliced video clips of an Indonesian spokesperson also made the rounds online, where he said that smoke is not the only thing they have been sending to neighboring countries, but oxygen as well, because of their thick forests. Regardless of the jokes, the situation should be dealt with accordingly.

According to Indonesian reports, the wildfires aren't really “wild” as we would like to think they are. Many big companies could intentionally set forests on fire to make way for new types of plants, like palm trees, so that they can produce palm oil. It makes matters worse by changing the natural flora and fauna of a location. People with their own agenda make it difficult for others to continue with their daily lives because we simply have to live with the consequences of their actions. It shouldn't be the case all the time.

Come to think of it, the haze also uncovers several things about the hazards we have to live with. While we can easily point fingers at our neighbors for the smoke crossing borders, we must also look at what is happening within our own. The air quality in Metro Cebu has been a concern even before the haze became a trending topic. Vehicular emissions, industrial activities, and other local sources of pollution continue to affect the air we breathe. The haze only makes a problem that has long existed even more difficult to ignore.

It is easy to make jokes about the situation, but people are suffering. School days are interrupted with students absent due to respiratory illnesses and our workers are putting themselves at risk just so they can still continue to earn a living. Not everyone has the luxury of staying indoors until the skies clear.

The government should not wait until the air becomes unbearable before taking action. The patterns are showing yet the convening of key individuals and stakeholders are delayed by a day or two. It is true that we cannot simply suspend our lives until the air becomes breathable again but we can always do something proactive about it. We’re unsure when the haze may eventually disappear. We can laugh about the smoke for now, but the joke is on us if we allow the same conditions to return without doing anything about them.