Since the enactment of the Clean Air Act in 1999 (RA 8749), the euphoria on improving air quality has been fading. Despite the efforts of different agencies and environmental groups in raising awareness and managing pollution, the citizens still experience the dire effects of air pollution after 10 years. In 2018, the World Health Organization’s reported that the Philippines having the third highest number of deaths due to outdoor air pollution in the Western Pacific (45.3 on every 100,000), after China and Mongolia. The use of kerosene and wood stoves by households also contributes to the high rank of the country in terms of indoor air pollution (2nd highest death rate in the region). The recorded average of PM2.5 concentration, the measure for presence of tiny particles in the air, is twice more than the acceptable level.
The need for a clean air is not limited only on the national government and implementing agencies’ regulatory activities, the local governments and especially the citizens are also urged to contribute to the improvement of air quality by starting a change in the culture. Clean air is for everyone’s benefit, thus clean air should be everyone’s priority.
This video shows UP Diliman and our air quality / pollution monitoring efforts featuring ROAM and Crowdssense - both products of UP Diliman - Institute of Chemistry.
