THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Thursday partnered with the Department of Transportation’s Inter-Agency Council for Traffic to go after dilapidated and smoke-belching vehicles within and outside Metro Manila.
DENR is the newest member to join the I-ACT, which was created to address traffic congestion and remove old and dilapidated vehicles and smoke belchers under the council’s “Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok” campaign.
Undersecretary for Field Operations-Luzon and DENR task force Metro Manila head Juan Miguel Cuna will lead the department’s contingent to the I-ACT.
The agency’s anti-smoke-belching unit under the Environmental Management Bureau is also a member of I-ACT.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said they are more than willing to lend to the I-ACT its expertise and experience in the crackdown against smoke belchers.
“The DENR joins other government agencies in the effort to not only rid our already clogged streets with vehicles that are not road worthy, but are also persistent air pollutants,” he said.
He took pride in saying that DENR’s Task Force Metro Manila has the equipment and manpower to conduct smoke emission tests even on the roadside.
“This capability improves the standard I-ACT practice of issuing subpoenas to substandard vehicles prior to testing,” he said.
A recent EMB study showed 80 percent of air pollution comes from motor vehicles, while 20 percent comes from stationary sources, including factory smoke stacks and open burning.
According to Cuna, air pollution is the cause of one out of four deaths in the country.
“This highlights the health risks brought about by smoke belching and the importance of aiming for clean air,” he said.
The I-ACT is also composed of the Metro Manila Development Authority, DoTr, Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and local government units.