Noy boasts pollution in metropolis down after he assumed office

Playing superhero isn’t something stipulated under the job descriptions of a President, but Aquino claimed that pollution level in Metro Manila significantly went down after he became President.

At the Pulong Bayan ng Pangulo held at the La Consolacion College in Manila, Aquino claimed that pollution level in Metro Manila was beyond tolerable before he assumed office in June 2010.

Citing figures, the Chief Executive said Metro Manila had a pollution density of 166 micrograms of particulates per cubic meter of air in the first semester of 2010.

“Ang inabutan po natin tinatawag po nila, tinataya nilang 166 micrograms of particulates per cubic meter of air. ‘Yun po ‘yung measure ng polusyon. Ang UN standard po for reasonable quality of air is 90. So ‘yung 166 is almost double of the 90, okay. So ‘yun pong double na ‘yon, ‘yun po ‘yung double na nilalanghap natin araw-araw ‘nung dinatnan natin (When I became President, pollution level stands at 166 micrograms of particulates per cubic meter of air. That’s the measurement of pollution. The UN standard for a reasonable quality of air is 90. So what we are actually breathing that time was almost double of what is reasonable as per UN),” Aquino said.

Aquino further claimed pollution level today stands at what he described as “close to tolerable level” even as he cited the Land Transportation Office as among the agencies that largely contributed to his campaign for a cleaner air.

“Ngayon po tinatayang nasa mga between 112 and 120 — malaki-laki na po ang ginaganda ng atin pong klima. Paano po ginawa ‘yan? Isa ho sa ginawa ng ating pamahalaan, ‘yung LTO po — sa pangunguna ni Virgie Torres na parati pong binabatikos — ang ginawa lang po nila siniyasat ‘yung smoke emission testing centers (Today we have an estimated 112 to 120 — quite an improvement in our climate. How did we do that? One of the things that the government did was to compel the LTO, headed by Virgie Torres who is frequently criticized in the media. It was the LTO that initiated an investigation into the smoke emission testing centers),” Aquino said.

Aquino, acting as if he’s the PR of his shooting pal, went on to say that Torres likewise should be credited for what he described as gallant effort to close down fake smoke emission testing centers which issue clearances to vehicles for a fee.

Apparently referring to just one instance when the LTO caught a private emission testing center as literally selling clearances without testing the vehicle, Aquino said it was at that juncture that the government “worked hard to crack down on others.”

He also urged students who were at the forum to take photos (using their high-end mobile phones and gadgets) of smoke-belching vehicles and have them reported to the LTO and other concerned agencies.

Aside from smoke-belching vehicles, he also said the government would also welcome photos of dirty waterways. –Fernan J. Angeles, Daily Tribune