ILOILO CITY, (PNA) – This highly-urbanized Western Visayas city is finalizing its clean air action plan to encompass all actions to be taken by stakeholders in collaboration with the city government here in an attempt to help solve the issues on global warming and climate change.

City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Engr. Noel Hechanova disclosed that they are now in the process of finally drafting the action plan with the help of the local legislative body as provided in Republic Act 8749, or the “Act providing for a comprehensive air pollution control policy and other purpose.”

A national workshop on “Clean Air for Smaller Cities in the ASEAN Region” was conducted last October 22, 2009 in Makati City, Metro Manila by the ASEAN-German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) aimed to discuss the action plan against air pollution.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelito Atienza welcomed all the delegates coming from more than 20 cities nationwide while former DENR Secretary Elisea Gozun served as the facilitator.

The respective action plan drafts presented by Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro cities drew reactions from other delegates coming from the Baguio, Cabanatuan, Sta Rosa, Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, Makati, San Juan, Iligan, General Santos, Zamboanga, San Fernando La Union, Marikina, Tangub, Santipolo, Valenzuela, Parañaque, Pasay, Tarlac and Calbayog cities, among others.

Hechanova said those cities are currently focused on their own action plans that will serve as a wake-up call on what must be done now that the country has suffered much from the effects of climate change.

GTZ representatives Roland Haas, Dr. Axel Friedrich, Dr. Rudolf Petersen and Philip Sayeg discussed the project being implemented in seven ASEAN countries - Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao-PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The GTZ said smaller cities tend to be neglected in overall development planning and there is an urgent need to help develop and implement measures to improve quality in such cities.

The overall objective is to empower smaller cities to develop and implement their own “Clean Air Action Plan” with the participation of civil society and the private sector as many laws protecting the environment are not fully realized in all its objectives.