Government cars fail smoke belching test

EVEN government vehicles fail to pass the anti- smoke belching emissions test according to the Roadside Inspection Testing and Monitoring Team ( RITMT) of the City Environment and Parks Management Office.

In the anti- smoke belching report of CEPMO from January 4 to February 29 this year, 736 of the 1,674 flagged down dieselfed vehicles passed the emission check.

But 743 vehicles failed including nine government- owned service cars.

Two of the vehicles were owned by the Baguio Water District while the other vehicles were registered to each the Bureau of Fire and Protection in Baguio City, Social Security System, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Agriculture, Devel- opment Bank of the Philippines and the Department of Education.

Engr. Sofronio Pascua of CEPMO said most of the government vehicles apprehended were utility trucks and service vans.

Another government vehicle which failed to pass the emission test was a van owned by Barangay Pala- Pala in Dasmarinas, Cavite while barangay officials were visiting the city earlier in January.

Five private school service vehicles also failed the emission test within the period, based on the report of CEPMO.

Bulk of the vehicles that failed to pass the emission test were public utility jeepneys with 133; taxi with 106; provincial busses with 21; and, nine public transport vans.

Aside from the vehicles flagged down for testing during the operations of the RITMT, Pascua reported voluntary testing of private vehicles showed a turnout of 1,916 in January and 1,550 in February.

A total of P1,371,050 has been collected by CEPMO from the RITMT operations in the first two months of the year. This includes polluter’s fee, testing fee, voluntary testing, certificates of compliance and penalties.

The RITMT is a program of the city government to step up its campaign against air pollution by clamping down on smoke-belching vehicles. The RITMT conducts inspection, testing, and apprehension of vehicles at random areas in the city based on emission standards set under the City’s Clean Air Ordinance of 2008.

City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit ( Cesu) head Dr. Donnabel Tubera explained nitrogen dioxide emitted by vehicles is known to increase the risk of respiratory symptoms, cause inflammation of the airways, exacerbate asthma and reduce lung function.

“Particulate matter lodges in the lungs while the finest particles can enter the bloodstream,” Tubera said.

Tubera said 52 percent of the emissions of air pollutants come from industrial sources, 27 percent from transportation, 10 percent from agricultural sources, eight percent from consumer and commercial products, two percent from other sources, and one percent from commercial and residential heating. Jessa Mardy Polonio