THE Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has installed a monitoring equipment that can measure particulate matter called “pm 2.5” in the air that people breathe.
Cindylyn Pepito of EMB-DENR confirmed that an Air Quality Monitoring Equipment was installed near the burned Metro Ayala Department Store and the EMB will get the results 24 hours later or at 2 p.m. today.
Pepito said the result of the air measurement will be announced to the public, especially to people living or passing near the area so they can be warned.
Pepito said this “pm 2.5” cannot be seen by the eyes, but is harmful to people with respiratory disease.
Pepito recalled that during the haze in Cebu City last 2015, they also measured air pollutants and advised the people on what to do and recommended some advisories to the Department of Health (DOH).
She said the acceptable level of air particulates, under the law, is 50 milligram (mg) per normal cubic meters. Beyond this, the amount of particulates in the air is detrimental to public health.
On the other hand, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) has sent labor officers to the fire scene in Metro Ayala to inquire about any workers who may have lost their jobs.
However, Dole 7 Assistant Director Lilia Estillore said their agency has a program to assist the workers, but they are still finalizing the reports of their labor officers.
Several Cebu City barangays surrounding fire-torn Metro Ayala did not receive any reports of residents suffering from respiratory illnesses as a result of last Saturday’s haze.
In separate interviews, officials and personnel of Barangays Luz, Kamputhaw, Mabolo, Lahug and Hipodromo told SunStar Cebu that their residents were cleared of any haze-induced respiratory problems as of Monday, Jan. 8.
A haze alert was issued last Saturday morning due to the thick smoke from the fire scene.
Nagiel Bañacia, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, lifted the haze alert last Sunday morning.
In Lahug, Barangay Secretary Peter Cawayan said a female infant and an 11-year-old boy were taken to their local health center yesterday for coughing.
These, however, were isolated cases since the children reportedly had flu earlier last week.
“Aside from our barangay being quite far from the fire scene, I believe that our residents’ active cooperation helped prevent any health problems due to the haze from arising. We’ve trained our residents about disaster resiliency and our families know that they are the front-liners if anything happens,” Cawayan said.
Mabolo village chief Reynaldo Ompoc, on the other hand, said that as soon as the haze alert was raised, he immediately ordered the distribution of masks to his constituents.
Although their barangay is some 1.7 kms. away from the fire scene, the barangay captain said they just wanted to be extra cautious.
Barangays Luz and Hipodromo also started giving away masks to residents after learning that the fire that started Friday night is still gutting the building the morning after.
Meanwhile, residents of Kamputhaw not only received masks from their local health offices, but also from the Metro Retail Store Group, Inc.
Kamputhaw is only around 850 m. away from the fire scene, making its residents the most susceptible to respiratory illness due to the haze.
Marilyn Basmayor, Kamputhaw health worker, said that while they have not received any reports on haze-related concerns yesterday, they will still continue to monitor their residents. (EOB, RTF)