MAY-JUNE 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3

PCA Organises The 5th Annual Clean Air Forum By: Katy Thompson

On the 11th and 12th of July, officials and leaders from government bodies, as well as NGOs and the private sector will come together to discuss clean air in the Philippines. This meeting will be the 5th annual meeting on clean air and it will be held at the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel in Quezon City. PCA is co-organizing the Forum with Clean Air Asia and DENR, with the support of Pilipinas Shell Corporation and GIZ. This year the Forum will run under the theme ‘Clean Air Act: Looking Back, Moving Forward’ and as such the implementation of the Clean Air Act of the Philippines will be central to the two-day discussion. Sessions are focused on topics such as ‘Accomplishments, Challenges and the Future’, ‘Roles of Stakeholders’ and ‘Impacts of Air Pollution’. This year the Forum has a reflective tone and aims to find solutions to air quality problems by improving the systems that have been implemented over the past 14 years.

Founded in 1999, The Clean Air Act creates a framework for measures to reduce air pollution and integrate environmental protection into plans for sustainable

development. The goal is to mitigate the causes and impacts of air pollution while simultaneously building development practices that do not continue to further pollute the air. The Act uses market-based instruments to encourage bodies to participate in self-regulation and avoid large amounts of government oversight. One such method used is the principle of ‘the polluter pays’, which basically places the economic responsibility of clean up on those who are causing, said pollution. There are caps placed on pollution for industries and those who go over these limitations are fined.

A similar system is applied to vehicles. Emission standards have been set that must be met for vehicles to be issued registration and breaking these standards results in a fine. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) published these emission limits in: ‘Implementing Rules and Regulations for Philippine Clean Air of 1999’. The rules and regulations outlined were to inform all industries and establishments that contribute to air pollution. For example, the emission limit in milligrams per cubic metre for urban and industrial areas is 150. While there are some national standards set, at the local and municipal levels, governments are allowed to set emission quotas by pollution source.

There are a number of incentives put in place to encourage willing participation in achieving air quality standards. Any body or individual that uses pollution control devices could receive tax accelerated depreciation, deductibility of R&D expenditures or tax credits on the VAT of the equipment and are exempt from real property tax on the machinery or equipment used to comply. The Act also bans public smoking and incineration because of the adverse effects they have to air quality and the development of recycling programs is encouraged.

Contd. to page 2

In this Issue:

PCA Organises The 5th Annual Clean Air Forum

DOH-NCR launches tree planting campaign

Painting over the issue

World Environment Day 2013 Theme: Think,

Eat, Save.

Area for air monitoring station sought

Wonderland down South

Makati summons owners of smoke-belching

cars

DENR to crush seized elephant tusks, drops

ceremonial burning.

2 PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEAN AIR

DOH-NCR launches tree planting campaign

QUEZON CITY, June 5 (PIA) -- A tree planting campaign by the Department of Health – National Capital Region (DOH-NCR) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources – National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) was launched today at the Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital. The campaign aims to lessen pollution in the city brought about by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The campaign is in support of Executive order No. 26 known as the “National Greening Program” (NGP), a massive forest rehabilitation program of the government issued on February 24, 2011 which seeks to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares nationwide within a six-year period. “We have been neglecting the importance of trees which provides us the very important element for sustainable living which is oxygen,” Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo stated. According to Janairo, they are initially targeting eligible areas for planting and growing of seedlings in all health facilities in Metro Manila including health centers.

"With more trees the lesser illness that will affect us like leptospirosis, skin allergies, cholera and even malnutrition. These are all brought about by the change in climate such as flooding, typhoon and severe heat. But we can help mitigate the effects by protecting our environment,” Janairo emphasized. Among the species of trees provided by the DENR are molave, mahogany, yakal, McArthur palm, ilang-ilang, sampaguita, white lauan, caballero, rambutan, calamansi. DOH-NCR, meanwhile, will be coordinating with the local government units concerned to locate available public domain in their areas for the appropriate species of trees to be planted. Herbal backyard gardens will also be encouraged in barangays all over the region. This project is also in partnership with the Climate change Commission and the Department of Interior and Local Government. “I encourage everyone to have their own backyard garden if they have areas available. You don’t need a big

area or lot to plant. Pots or drums and cans can handle small species of trees like the Chinese bamboo which is the best absorbent of air pollution or use hydroponic, which is a system of growing soilless plants,” Janairo concluded. (DOH/RJB/JGR/PIA-NCR) http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=2401370402246

The Philippine Clean Air Act…. Contd. from page 1

The government has already put several plans in motion to help meet the standards and regulations set by the Clean Air Act. In it’s fourteenth year of implementation, the Clean Air Act has seen some positive effects. As part of the initiative to regulate vehicle emissions, the LTO has deployed motor vehicle inspection centres to assess large transportation groups and authorized the needed registration where applicable. Additionally, private emissions testing centres (PETCs) have been put in place in various locations across the country to provide the same service for privately owned and public transportation vehicles.

Aside from regulation, multiple government officials are supporting operations to reduce smoke belching caused by vehicle emissions, particularly on EDSA. President Aquino himself supports a reporting system where the public can notify the LTO about smoke belching buses by text message. Support for alternative modes of transportation is also critical for

reducing vehicle emissions. Electric powered Jeepneys and tricycles have become more popular, while many motorcycles are being converted to 4-stroke engines, which pollute far less than their 2-stroke counterparts. Additionally, the DOE has been pushing for cleaner fuels and reduced many of the pollutant previously present in diesel.

Since the creation of the Clean Air Act, there have been multiple improvements in the quality of health nationwide that are indicative of air pollution mitigation as reported by the DENR on their website. However, not all the work is done. In 2008 there was an estimated 102 micrograms of suspended particulates in a Normal cubic meter, but the goal is a standard value of 90. The DENR believes that with continued collaboration and cooperation between both government and NGO organizations, clean air can be achieved in the Philippines, and this is what we all strive for.

PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEAN AIR 3

Painting over the issue

MANILA, Philippines - Pollution in the streets of Manila is harming motorists‘ health. A local company (Boysen) aims to ease the problem through paint and artwork. Devon Wong reports. DEVON WONG, REPORTING: It’s not unusual to see people covering their noses and mouths in EDSA traffic. We may not see it, but we’re breathing in a very real problem. When I first moved into the neighborhood, I developed a chronic cough. My friends joked, calling it the ―EDSA lung‖. But the long-term effects of everyday air pollution are no laughing matter. It‘s a very real concern for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. CORAZON JIMENEZ, MMDA GENERAL MANAGER: It’s not good for tourists, it’s not good for people who inhabit Metro Manila. Jimenez says that EDSA carries three times the amount of traffic than its capacity on a daily basis. The sight of traffic is an eyesore to most commuters in Metro Manila. But Jimenez is more concerned about the health effects. CORAZON JIMENEZ, MMDA GENERAL MANAGER: And everytime I go to the communities, I always

inform them, do you think the air you’re breathing now is clean? But out of thin air, a local company approaches Jimenez with a colorful idea. JOHNSON ONGKING, BOYSEN PAINT VICE PRESIDENT: It’s an air cleaning paint. That’s a very very new concept. Whatever surface you paint it on, that surface becomes an air purifier. The paint combines existing technologies to turn every painted surface into an active air filter. They work with government towards an ambitious goal -- to paint murals along the most heavily polluted sections of EDSA using the high tech paint. Initial tests before and after the painted murals prove to have some positive results on reducing the levels of air pollutants. JOHNSON ONGKING, BOYSEN PAINT VICE PRESIDENT: Purely in terms of reduction of nitrogen oxides, it’s worth about 1000 trees, really. So when we paint about 8 of these, which we’re planning to do, it’s sort of the equivalent of planting 8000 trees. But what about the people who spend most of their waking hours along EDSA?

RODRIGO KALIMANTAN, LONGTIME VENDOR UNDER ORTIGAS FLYOVER: You can’t avoid the smoke, everyday there’s smoke. Sometimes I cough Do they notice the difference of the high tech artwork? RODRIGO KALIMANTAN, LONGTIME VENDOR UNDER ORTIGAS FLYOVER: It does. And it looks nice. The air is clean. Especially when you're here everyday, I don't get headaches anymore. The project is halfway through painting, but the battle for clean air is far from won. Filipinos are not likely to give up their vehicles, but Jimenez hopes the public & private sectors will evolve a solution. DEVON WONG, REPORTING: The project is a creative attempt to manage Manila’s growing urban development. It might be a superficial approach in addressing the city’s air pollution issue, but at least it’s scratching the surface. Devon Wong, Rappler, Manila

http://www.rappler.com/video/reports/30623-painting-over- the-issue

4 PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEAN AIR

World Environment Day 2013 Theme: Think.Eat.Save.

The theme for this year’s World Environment

Day celebrations is Think.Eat.Save.

Think.Eat.Save is an anti-food waste and food

loss campaign that encourages you to reduce

your foodprint. According to the UN Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO), every year 1.3

billion tonnes of food is wasted. This is

equivalent to the same amount produced in the

whole of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, 1

in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry

and more than 20,000 children under the age of

5 die daily from hunger.

Given this enormous imbalance in lifestyles and

the resultant devastating effects on the

environment, this year’s theme – Think.Eat.Save

– encourages you to become more aware of the

environmental impact of the food choices you

make and empowers you to make informed

decisions.

http://www.unep.org/wed/theme/

Area for air monitoring station sought

CEBU, Philippines - The Talisay City council will adopt a resolution urging outgoing Mayor

Socrates Fernandez to implement a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the allocation of an

adequate area for the installation of an ambient air quality monitoring station as identified by the

Environment Monitoring Board (EMB).

The Mayor signed the MOA with EMB regarding the said project last April 24, 2013.

Outgoing councilor Bernard Joseph Odilao, chairman on committee on environment, said that the

1987 constitution guarantees a healthy and safety environment for the people and the local

government unit (LGU) must ensure the implementation of the Republic Act 8749 or the ―Philippine

Clean Air Act of 1999‖ which requires the monitoring of the suspended air particles.

He said the EMB-7 is tasked to install, conduct and train personnel on the Ambient Air Quality

Monitoring Station. (FREEMAN)

http://www.philstar.com/metro-cebu/2013/05/19/943826/area-air-monitoring-station-sought

PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEAN AIR 5

Wonderland down South

KRIPOTKIN By Alfred A. Yuson

What I love about attending the

Silliman University National Writers

Workshop in Dumaguete is that while

it takes center stage for the week or so

spent in my adopted hometown, the

literary activity is never the only one

that supplies and holds interest.

So many other things happen to gain

our fascination. And there are always

fresh stimuli that introduce

themselves.

Take the e-trike, or E+E-Cab, an

electric-powered tricycle in bright

yellow that trumps all the usual

buzzing ―trikes‖ in town. This one

catches the eye as a futuristic space

bubble or rounded capsule. And it‘s

noiseless, barely hums as it

effortlessly glides along.

Kotska and Mark sported calling cards

that billed them as sales agents of

Torrex Development Corporation,

apparently a family venture that has

partnered with Egg & Egli (E+E), a

Swiss car manufacturing company

―that produces clean-energy modes of

transport, with a definite emphasis on

emerging markets and the developing

world.‖

The bodywork for the sidecar and

driver‘s shield uses polymers, while

the cab‘s interior features eco-friendly

materials such as treated bamboo

slats and natural fibers. It‘s a marriage

of space-age design and indigenous

flavor. The ride is comfy, with two

passengers seated side-by-side,

enjoying ample legroom and a grand

view through a large curved glass

windshield.

Powered (4.3kW at its peak) by a

2kW/52V LifePO-4 battery, the E+E-

Cab can tool around for as much as

45 kilometers at full charge. That‘ll

take riders all the way to Bais City

from Dumaguete. Envisioned is a

power distribution network to serve the

vehicle‘s energy requirement, meaning

a chain of E+E-Stations for battery

charging.

It‘s all green hi-tech, with fast-

charging, modular stations to be

designed for compatibility with regular

power grids. At their greenest form,

the electric trikes may eventually be

equipped with solar panels for

renewable and emission-free power.

No emissions, no noise, no pollution

— that‘s what the E+E-Cab promises,

with a low-cost base vehicle, locally

manufactured sidecar, brushless DC

motor of 50V/150Amax/7,000rpm at a

top speed of 45 km per hour, and

torque that can carry 290kg on a 10%

slope. Its daily operating cost is

estimated to be only a hundred pesos

daily in terms of electricity. The energy

consumption rates for e-trikes will thus

save the equivalent of up to 3,000

liters of fuel per year per vehicle.

http://www.philstar.com/arts-and-

culture/2013/06/03/949320/

wonderland-down-south

Makati summons owners of smoke-belching cars

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City government has

summoned owners of around 1,500 cars issued violation

tickets for smoke belching to claim their confiscated license

plates and pay the corresponding fines.

Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay ordered the city‘s legal

department to issue the summons after learning that the

fines have not been settled within three days after being

issued tickets, as prescribed under Republic Act 8749 or the

Clean Air Act.

The vehicles must also be subjected to a smoke emission

test before their owners can pay the fines.

Binay warned motorists against executing affidavits of loss for their confiscated license plates just to avoid paying the fines. He said he has ordered the Makati Pollution Control Office to coordinate with the Land Transportation Office ―to establish an efficient monitoring system that would block any attempt to skirt round the law and obtain new license plates to replace those that are actually in the custody of MPCO.‖

http://www.philstar.com/metro/2013/06/08/951442/makati-summons-owners-smoke-belching-cars

6 PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEAN AIR

DENR to crush seized elephant tusks, drops

ceremonial burning MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will no longer hold a ceremonial burning of some five tons of seized elephant tusks but assured that it will push through with crushing the confiscated ivory on June 21. DENR decided to do away with the ―ceremonial burning‖ after environmental groups said it would send the wrong message that open burning could be acceptable. In a statement, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje said that he has ordered the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) to forgo the planned ―ceremonial burning.‖ ―I have already instructed the PAWB to forgo the ceremonial burning. But just the same, the confiscated tusks weighing about five tons will be crushed as planned using road rollers,‖ he said. Paje explained that the DENR originally planned to burn only 20 pieces from the five tons of elephant tusks for at least five minutes using kerosene while the rest would be crushed with road rollers in the June 21 rites at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC). The use of kerosene, he said, had been recommended by the Environmental Management Bureau. Some 30 clean air advocates, including the Ecowaste Coalition and several environmental lawyers, opposed the ―ceremonial burning‖ of the confiscated elephant tusks through letters sent to the DENR secretary and PAWB director Theresa Mundita Lim. They wrote, ―Even if the intent is only to conduct ‗ceremonial burning,‘ we remain anxious as this will likely send a confusing message to the general public from the environmental authorities that open burning is acceptable. A photo showing the Environment Secretary setting a pile of tusks on fire may be interpreted as a tacit endorsement that ‗open burning is okay.‖

The environmentalist groups said such a message would defeat the objectives of the agency‘s Integrated Persistent Organic Pollutants Management Project, which has been aiming to prevent emissions from open burning of agricultural and municipal solid wastes. It will also violate the Clean Air Act. They proposed that the seized elephants tusks be crushed and pulverized then buried for composting at the NAPWC, saying, ―The eco-burial site can serve as a lasting memorial to our country‘s commitment to ending illegal wildlife trade and to poaching that is mercilessly killing the elephants…It will be fitting to install a marker at the site made out of combined cement and crushed tusks in memory of the murdered elephants.‖ The DENR set on Friday the destruction of some P420 million (US$10 million) worth of elephant tusks, intercepted and seized by customs officials since 2009, to show the country‘s support for the global campaign to end the illegal trade of wildlife species. The country is a signatory to the 1989 Geneva-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES) of flora and fauna which bans the ivory trade as a cause of the massive decline in elephant populations in Africa. PAWB is designated as the management authority under the Wildlife Resource Conservation and Protection Act. Under the CITES, elephants are highly endangered and their international trade declared illegal. The demand for ivory on elephant tusks has caused the slaughter of the animals. In 1997, the Philippines was included in the list of nine countries seen to be priorities of concern as trade routes and transit sites of the illegal ivory trade along with Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam. The other countries are the sources of elephant tusks: Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa; and countries of destination China and Thailand. Foreign experts and anti-ivory trade advocates are expected to witness the event — a highlight in the celebration of the environment month — along with top executives of the justice department, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Customs Bureau, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Philippine National Police.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/427439/denr-to-crush-seized-elephant-tusks-drops-ceremonial-burning

AP FILE PHOTO