The Clean Air Philippines Movement Inc. on Friday urged the Department of Transportation to “protect lives” by enforcing the Clean Air Act and Protect lives by enforcing the Clean Air Act, and Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
Leo Olarte, CAPMI president who is a lawyer and former Philippine Medical Association president, appealed to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to show empathy to the sorry state of jeepney drivers and operators who have been displaced by the lockdown.
He, however, asked the government to stay “steadfast on its duty to strictly enforce (with malice to none) the motor vehicle emission standards under the Clean Air Act or Republic Act 8749, and RA 4136 or the land transportation law to benefit all Filipinos, and not just a few groups.”
“Both air pollution and road crashes (now also a global health issue), without an iota of doubt, can kill people. Fortunately, both events can also be prevented. In 2017, the World Health Organization said 1.25 million people worldwide died yearly due to road crashes. In 2018, WHO estimates that around seven million people died every year from exposure to polluted air that caused diseases such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, respiratory infections, including pneumonia, even diabetes and hypertension,” the group said.