The air that you breathe (Special feature)

CEBU, Philippines - The air quality in Metro Cebu is fair and good, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) -7 Pollution Control Division, but lawyer Gloria E. Ramos, an environment advocate, is calling the people, especially the youth, to be ardent advocates of ecological stewardship.

The problem in air pollution has been a main concern of the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC). Government agencies, PEJC co-founder Ramos said, are not giving serious attention in the implementation of environmental laws like the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999.

“Government has to initiate massive information campaign not just on pollution but on the inter-relationship of pollution to climate change,” the lawyer noted, “and address fully the issues as to causes of climate change.”

The 2013 Ambient Air Quality Status of the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau showed that the air in Cebu is breathable and tolerable. The four Metro Cebu air quality monitoring stations have passed the department’s air quality average grade requirement.

These stations are located at the DENR-7 office in Banilad, Mandaue City; Cornilla Lao Residence in Naga City; Mabolo Police Station; and at the Cebu Business Park.

DENR’s Environmental Management Specialist Engr. Marco Andrew Silveron said they are mainly focusing on the stationery sources of air pollution such as pollutants produced by factories and other establishments.

Ramos said everyone contributes to air pollution. Other polluting sources are vehicles and household pollutants. Not everyone is aware that the polluting gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and CFC) also are drivers of climate change, she added.

She also cited the Philippine environmental laws that protect the people and ecosystems. One of which is the Environmental Impact Statement System that was established by a Presidential Decree during the Marcos regime for environmental impact and social acceptability.

There are so many other laws, she continued, but as Philippine experience shows, laws, even if well-crafted, are meaningless if not well implemented.

Organizations like PEJC have consistently pushed for massive education campaign and no-nonsense implementation of laws. This, she said, requires collaboration among government, civil society and business sector. 

“We need to understand, appreciate and be aware every single moment that we are all connected, as nature and God designed it to be,” Ramos stressed. “If we are fully conscious of that connectedness, we will begin to treat our planet as extension of our homes and fellow humans and life forms, as recipients of our compassion and responsibility. In other words, living a life that is in harmony with nature, or following earth ethics or environmental ethics is a must.”

Everyone can do something to reduce air pollution and solve climate change. Scientists say it will take centuries to remove the carbon pollution in the atmosphere. 

Lawyer Ramos, who hosts a radio program “Hagit sa Kinaiyahan” in DYRC, believes the natural climate system is already not in order, the reason why the world is now experiencing weather abnormalities.

People’s health also affected

College students Ronalie Cabatas and Celine Amparo, who ride a jeepney everyday in going to school, said they are worried about the health risks of pollution.

Cabatas regularly experiences headache and dizziness because of smoke from vehicles. While Amparo worries about getting skin disease because of smoke. 

To protect themselves from the dusty environment in the city while riding a jeepney, the two students cover their noses and close their eyes.

Dr. Ruben L. Escarda, a pulmonologist at the Visayas Community Medical Center explained that bronchitis and asthma are major diseases caused by air pollution. He added that smoking is also one key factor.

“Smoking is rampant in our area,” said Escarda who is president of the Cebu Medical Society. “There are a lot of alternatives to reduce pollution like instead of biofuel we can have LPG, because to some extent, LPG produces lesser smoke.”

He added inhalation of air pollutants can even lead to lung cancer because pollution is now a source of carcinogens, agents that cause cancer.

He also noted one doesn’t have to be a smoker to get Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The increasing vehicular pollution in Cebu City also poses serious health risks.

Escarda advises people to wear a double-layered mask when outside to make sure they are protected from dust. Wearing a mask may look awkward but he said, if a person wants to maintain a healthy respiratory system, this is probably the best thing to do.

Meanwhile, environmental advocate Ramos shared her air pollution-reducing ways which, she said, everyone can do.

“Let’s plant trees because these are carbon sinks,” she said. “Turn off unnecessary lights anywhere; a smart consumer buys more biodegradable goods, avoid products with plastic packaging and bring your own bag.”

She further encouraged people to reuse materials and bring recyclables to waste pickers. People also should avoid throwing trash in the dumpsites because these are sources of methane and mercury pollution.

Ramos said there is a continuous need to educate the people, especially the youth, stressing that everyone needs to be a “katawhan nga nagpakabana (engaged citizen).”

Change, indeed, has to start in each of us.

“We need to work together to fulfill our responsibility to the future generation so that they will have a quality of life and ecosystems that  sustain them. This is possible if we make it our duty to learn more about the climate crisis so as to be able to craft the much needed solutions and adapt and respond effectively to the crisis,” she ended. —/QSB (FREEMAN)