2,231 smoke belchers apprehended in Makati

The Makati Pollution and Control Office (MPCO) has apprehended a total of 2,321 smoke belchers in the first quarter of the year.

MPCO chief Reggie Suarez said utility vehicles topped the list of violators with 983, followed by trucks with 856; cars, 192; public utility jeepneys, 177; public utility buses, 77; and taxis with 36 apprehensions.

The MPCO deploys its enforcers from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily to streets and main avenues like J. P. Rizal street, Kalayaan Avenue, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Magallanes.

He said all the apprehended vehicles exceeded the 2.51k opacimeter limit level of smoke emission set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

First-time offenders were fined P1,000, while second-time and third-time offenders were fined P2,000 and P3,000, respectively.

For the said period, the city government was able to collect P487,950 in fines and penalties.

The MPCO will soon deploy roving enforcers in the city’s inner roads to go after vehicles that emit black smoke.

Suarez said drivers of these smoke-belching vehicles often avoid using the major thoroughfares where anti-pollution operatives are in position.

Makati is one of the few localities in the country recognized by the DENR for its strict enforcement of the Clean Air Act. – Rhodina Villanueva