THE Clean Air Ordinance of Baguio City is strictly being implemented by the Roadside Inspection, Testing, and Monitoring Team (RITMT) in the city’s major roads.

The RITMT started implementing the inspection on Monday, June 29, and has covered Camp Allen, Harrison, Naguilian, Magsaysay and Session Road.

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RITMT member Moises Lozano said they have a spotter and a flagger who flags down vehicles that emit too much smoke. After the vehicle is flagged down to the inspection area, the content of the smoke is tested through an opacity meter machine. The vehicle should then pass the opacity test.

Lozano said there are different numbers that can be seen in the opacity meter because of the change in smoke content.

He said this all depends on the burning of gas in the chamber. They are testing the volume of smoke of the vehicles.

Test results of vehicles that were registered before 2003 should fall below the 4.5 average, 2.5 for vehicles registered from 2003 to 2007, and 2 for vehicles that were registered 2007 onwards.

Lozano said there is no fixed number of vehicles that are flagged down daily. He added vehicles avoid passing through the area where they are doing the inspection.

He also said that 44 percent of the flagged down vehicles during the first day of implementation didn’t pass the test. Plate numbers of vehicles that failed the test are confiscated by the team.

After that, the vehicle should be repaired to meet the standards and then proceeds to the Wastewater, Water and Ambient Air Management Division-City Parks Management Office (WAMD-CPMO) office to get a payment order (PO) for a testing fee worth P100.

The vehicle is then tested by the Clean Air Monitoring Unit at Sanitary Camp. If the emission test is successful, a Clear Air Monitoring Unit (Camu) Validation Emission Certificate, a PO for the polluter’s fee of the owner, a PO for the driver, where applicable will be issued. The driver then brings pertinent documents to the city legal office and retrieves his confiscated item.

Lozano said they test all suspicious vehicles even if they are tourists, visitors or government officials. He added that a red plate vehicle had failed the emission test.

RITMT team member Joven Biding said almost 70 to 80 percent of vehicles fail the emission test.

He said 31 vehicles failed the test on Thursday. As of Saturday, 19 vehicles failed the test on Friday.

Jeepney drivers and taxi drivers agree the implementation of the ordinance is good. Manuel, a driver whose vehicle failed the test, said the ordinance is okay since it helps the city. He said he will submit his vehicle for repair.

An employee of the InnoGen Pharma Group, Alan Abella said the implementation is good but he wished he could get his plate number earlier.

Abella’s company delivers medicines and drugs and he says his delivery operation was disrupted.

Confiscated items and testing of vehicles who have failed the test are done in the afternoon.

Abella was dismayed that he would have to spend again for other lodging expenses.