A study of the Clean Air Initiatives for Asian Cities (CAIAC) indicated that the country needs to do more in keeping ambient air quality in its city of which a major component is a clean transport system.

"You need to improve standards. You need to come up with a roadmap for cleaner fuel. One of the key issues is what’s going to be done to the country’s public transport?" Cornie Huizenga, head of secretariat, CAIAC, told reporters at the Philippine Clean Air Act (CAA) Implementation Review.

The roadmap for modernizing the public transport that is now dominated by jeepneys, tricycles, and imported buses should look into investments in the next 10 to 15 years in modern systems that run on cleaner fuel.

"Will you put money in more rails which is very expensive or in clean buses? Fuel price went up a lot (but) if you improve into clean fuel, it will be very cheap. If other cities in the region is investing money for it and you’re not (you will be left behind)," he said.

The absence of a roadmap makes it difficult to promote stricter standards. And reduction of air pollution should involve tightening of emission standards for stationary sources, mandatory use of clean fuel, monitoring and inspection systems, and relocation of polluting industries.

The transport modernization must mean a clean, comfortable, and convenient transport system that most Filipinos could be proud of taking and even perhaps wider and pedestrian-friendly roads.

Besides, the Department of Budget and Management must now put up a fund that will enforce standards set by the CAA as the law itself stipulated the creation of such fund.

"It’s clear the DBM needs to give sufficient money for the Clean Air Act," he said. "Enforcement is not that expensive. Unfortunately, enforcement here is not high (compared to Bangkok). It’s a question of political will. Public interest litigation has proven to be powerful to catalyze implementation of air quality management policies," he said.

A CAIAC study showed that while Metro Manila may not be rated among the poorest in air management standards, but there are more countries that worked far better than it.

In air quality measurement index, Metro Manila only got a good rating as cities Jakarta, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hanoi, and Colombo did. However, Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, New Delhi, Bangkok, Beijing, and Ho Chi Minh got excellent ratings.

This index found out whether a city measures the effect of certain compounds such as nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, or lead on chronic and acute ill effect on human health or if a city measures trends in compounds’ pollutant concentrations.

The same study indicated that 49 percent of the 795 stacks (chimneys of power plants and other industries) failed the CAA standard for at least one parameter.

The failures are mainly on sulfur dioxide, 51 percent. Heavy bunker fuel exceeded sulfur dioxide emission limits; power generation sets (compression engines) exceed nitrous oxide limits; and solid fuel-fired units exceed carbon monoxide limits.

In sulfur level in diesel, the Philippines registered a still high level at 500 parts per million (PPM) compared to Japan’s and the European Union’s 10 PPM as of 2006 and the United States’ 15 PPM. This is also higher than the 50 PPM of Singapore and 30 PPM of Korea. For the air quality assessment and availability index which involves prediction modeling for pollutants, the country’s rating was limited compared to the excellent grade of Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai, Bangkok, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

Huizenga also noted that farther provinces do not receive as much enforcement and regulation on air pollution standards as much as other bigger cities like Davao, Cagayan de Oro, or Cebu.

On emission estimates index (on major sources like industrial, mobile, domestic, commercial), Manila turned out with a good rating but was still poorer compared to Singapore, Tokyo, and other more developed cities which got excellent grades.

"Cities with high levels of economic development tend to have well-developed Air Quality Management (AQM) systems. Benchmarking of AQM can assist cities in setting priorities and developing AQM strategies," CAIAC said.