BAGUIO CITY—The city’s air is still breathable, City Environment and Parks Management Office announced in response to a report by the World Health Organization that it is one of the most polluted cities in the country.
Cepmo’s Cordelia Lacsamana explained the WHO report was based on consolidated reports dating back to 2013, thus, the data are outdated and have been nullified by mitigating measures that helped keep the city’s air quality between good to fair based on the ambient air quality monitoring of the Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau.
“Individuals with conditions aggravated by pollutants in the air have been advised to stay away from the few identified areas with fair air quality,” Lacsamana stressed.
Baguio was recently chosen asa pilot area for Clean Air Certification, an international recognition of “innovative and impactful, voluntary action towards better air quality” given by the Clean Cities Air Partnership Program through Clean Air Asia.
The declaration was made during the 17th International Union of Air Pollution Prevention Associations World Clean Air Congress and 9th CAA Better Qir Quality Conference held last month in Busan, South Korea.
Baguio will join Iloilo City and Sta. Rosa in Laguna, as well as Malang in Indonesia and Kathmandu in Nepal as pilot areas for the certification process before it will be opened to wider participation.
The CAA recognized the five cities for their “expression of commitment to clean air action.”
Lacsamana emphasized the city’s leadership is working hard to free the city’s air from pollutants to guarantee social, environmental and economic sustainability for local residents and visitors.
According to her, the local government has more strictly enforced the anti-smokebelching ordinance, the anti-smoking ordinance and other measures.
The local government is also required by the environment department to help reduce black carbon and dust through ambient air monitoring and greater intervention for pirifying air.
Lacsamana claimed the local government was never remiss in its environmental duties.