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Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Editorial: This stiff resistance to cleaning the air
AFTER the strike by tricycle drivers in Angeles City and the threat to strike by yet another transport group - the City of San Fernando tricycle operators and drivers association - expect some other tricycle groups or associations elsewhere to stage another strike. The same target and the same complaints will be lodged against the Clean Air Act.
Other than the piling up of complaints, expect, too, that Land Transportation Office authorities will be giving the same stock answers they gave Angeles City trike drivers: they can do nothing against the Clean Air Act; it is a law passed by Congress and that only Congress can rescind it. Then give credit to Regional LTO director Jesus Ma. Vitug when he say, "I will relay your problems to the authorities concerned."
While we sympathize with tricycle drivers who make their living plying the streets and risking their lives in racing against those behemoths called trailers and such, we can not also ignore the fact that what their tricycle spew are some deadly fumes that contribute to the deaths of hundreds of people not excluding their own kins.
There is no definite study for Pampanga on gas emissions. But a study in Manila, Cebu, Davao and Baguio said, "fine particle emissions" mostly from industrial plants and motor vehicles "cause 2,000 premature deaths each year, 9,000 cases of chronic bronchitis and a total of 51 million days of respiratory illnesses."
There is no big difference between the four cities mentioned against the cities of Angeles and San Fernando, the municipalities of Guagua, Mabalacat, Mexico and Lubao. All the residents in these places in Pampanga are victims of these "fine particle emissions." The truth is we have more of these than what they have in Baguio and Davao. We therefore have a bigger number of residents prone to exposure to these "fine particle emissions" than, say, the people of Davao and Baguio.
Motor vehicle regulations call for the establishment of a Motor Vehicle Inspection System. However, the system does not exist right now. But when the system starts working, a lot of us would have better chances of getting saved from premature death, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory ailments.
It has been years since Congress passed the Clean Air Act. It is only now that the transportation and environmental departments are trying to enforce the law.
In Pampanga, it seems, people whose livelihood are directly affected by its implementation will keep resisting it. Vehicle "emissions inspection" and other safety measures for both motorists and pedestrians, it now appears, are all far from being implemented because of lack of political will. The day when we can venture out into the streets each day without slowly killing ourselves in the process is not yet in sight.
Local governments, we feel, should play a major role in making the public understand the implications of vehicle emission or what solutions have to be taken to save our people.
We have all been warned against the effects of the toxic wastes left by the Americans on our bases and yet our leaders all seem not to give the matter much attention. Now that we are confronted on the streets and in our own backyard by the dangers of "fine particle emissions" which actually are a jumble of dust, dirt and smoke compounded by sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, lead and other pollutants we should listen to reason to minimize deaths in our midst. |
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