AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Following the discovery that the New Year fireworks worsened air pollution in Metro Manila nearly 10 times the tolerable level, environment officials are now considering imposing penalties on cities that fail to regulate firecracker use.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said his agency was studying ways of minimizing air pollution during the New Year celebrations, including slapping sanctions on cities and municipalities where pollutants are found to have risen the most.
“For example, we may impose a fine of P1 million for a certain percent rise of PM10, or particulate matter 10 microns and below in diameter, which is the standard used in measuring air quality,” he said.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it recorded unnaturally high readings of PM 10 in Metro Manila on Jan. 1 at the height of the revelry.
The average reading was 1,437 ug/Ncm (micrograms per normal cubic meter of air), compared to 2013’s 537 ug/Ncm, “way beyond” the average healthy value of 150 ug/Ncm set by the government and the World Health Organization.
Paje said some cities, including Marikina and Muntinlupa, have already passed ordinances regulating the sale and manufacture of firecrackers.
“But it’s not enough to regulate firecrackers in only one or two cities, because the air pollution will cover not just one or two cities but the whole Metro Manila,” he said.
But Paje said the agency was still studying the legal basis for the sanctions, including the Clean Air Act. He added that the Pollution Adjudication Board would be in charge of the matter.
The DENR regularly monitors air quality in Metro Manila and pays particular attention to pollution levels during the New Year celebration.
Fire crackers and fireworks are big business in the Philippines as many people believe making noise to greet the arrival of the New Year spells good fortune.
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