The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it will continue going after smoke-belching vehicles.
MMDA chairman Don Artes tapped the men from the agency’s Anti-Smoke Belching Unit to go against these vehicles.
In September, 324 apprehended vehicles underwent roadside smoke emission tests, out of which only 117 passed, while 207 failed and required their vehicle’s engine to be repaired.
The roadside smoke emission test is conducted to measure the amount or thickness of smoke coming from the exhaust of a vehicle through an opacimeter.
The MMDA’s operation is in response to Republic Act 8749 or the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, which prohibits the transportation of vehicles that emit black smoke.
To further improve air quality, the government is also pushing for the modernization program for public transport.
The MMDA stated that the increasing number of private vehicles is also a factor in bad air quality.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board officials are pursuing their drive to modernize the country’s transportation sector by introducing policies aimed at curbing the number of old and decrepit Public Utility Vehicles from plying the national roads.
Under the modernization program, the Department of Transportation impose a 15-year age limit on jeepneys as it aims to modernize the fleet of jeepneys plying the roads through low-carbon and low emission vehicle technology. Standards on carbon emission and fleet management and maintenance would also be imposed to ensure passenger safety and improve ambient air quality.
