EDITORIAL - Cleaning up the air

Environment officials were pleased to announce recently that the Philippines received a favorable rating in efforts to control air pollution. Yale University, in its annual Environmental Performance Index, gave the Philippines an EPI of 71.7 points, ranking the country at 50th place alongside Australia among 163 countries surveyed. The EPI ranking was based on 25 performance indicators in 10 policy categories. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines was ranked behind only Malaysia and Singapore.

Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources attributed the ranking to the government’s adoption of more stringent motor vehicle emission standards, tighter monitoring of private emission testing and vehicle inspection centers, and better enforcement of laws against smoke belching.

This is good news, although many Filipinos, especially residents of Metro Manila and other urban centers, are probably among the most surprised by the country’s ranking. There are still too many motor vehicles fouling up the air in Metro Manila, and constant exposure to the air along major thoroughfares such as EDSA is dangerous to one’s health.

Poor air quality aggravates asthma, causes rhinitis and conjunctivitis, triggers skin allergies, and contributes to serious ailments including tuberculosis and even lung cancer. Health care costs should be among the biggest incentives for cleaning up the air we breathe. Despite that encouraging rating from one of the top universities in the United States, the Philippines has a long way to go in curbing air pollution.

A drive around Metro Manila will show that too many vehicles are still getting away with emitting noxious fumes. Among the biggest culprits are trucks hauling shipping containers, buses, jeepneys, and the increasingly ubiquitous motorcycles. Those emissions are the result of poor vehicle maintenance, and cannot possibly be missed in tests for the annual vehicle registration. How do these vehicles get away with the emissions? Finding out why, and improving emission testing procedures, should make the country rate even better in international studies on air pollution control.