DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will be awarded as the Clean Air Champion advocate by the Clean Air Philippines for pushing forward clean air initiatives in the city during the Clean Air Month celebration on November 6 at NCCC Mall Davao activity center.
A symbolic ceremony will also take place declaring the city as "Clean Air City," attributing to the various clean air-related local ordinances that were strictly implemented here.
Melvin Dapitanon, Airshed focal person of Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB)-Davao, during Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao, said the mayor is active in implementing the existing ordinances in the city such as the non-smoking, Anti-Smoking Belching Unit (ASBU), open burning which are in place as well as the planned modernization program on vehicles.
The award will be given by Mike Aragon of Clean Air Philippines. This is the first time that they will award a local government official.
Socorro Mallare of DENR-EMB also said the city is also considered as the Clean Air City because of the sustained air quality as the city still has good to fair level of air unlike other highly-urbanized cities nationwide.
She cited that DENR-EMB, the lead agency in the implementation of Clean Air Act, is implementing stringent measures in giving permit to stationary sources or those industries emitting smoke to regulate and ensure that the smoke they release would not harm the environment.
"For EMB, we monitor of course, pag nag-a-apply ang industries ng permit, meron na tayong nakaakibat, may batas kung ano ang ibubuga they have to get permit to operate. There will be mitigating measures," Mallare said.
She added that "strict ang monitoring. Meron na tayong batas para ma-curb ang emission and modernization program for us to be able to maintain the good quality of air."
Mallare also cited factors why the city maintained the good quality of air because of the strict implementation of the Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance of 2002 and amended in 2012, and the firecracker ban.