How to Deal with Filipino City Air Pollution

I worked in environmental field for 23 years. I don't believe they monitor air quality. I live in province. As with most province they sat a lot fires for trash, ice husk, clearing weeds etc..,

All these things among others like vehicle emission pollutes the air here. Unless you wear a respirator all day I don't see how you can escape from it.

It's a shame but it's just the way it is here!

Hi,
Air pollution is a major problem in the cities and the provinces. I live in Baguio City and the politicians here promote it as a clean, cool fresh air place in the Cordilleras. It's far from the truth. Traffic congestion is very bad here and City Hall is not dealing with the problems.
There are laws governing burning of garbage and vehicle emissions. The trouble this is currently the most corrupt country in Asia, (as reported in a recent New York Times investigation). It's endemic  here so nothing gets done. The Jeepneys and Taxis here pour out black exhaust but when stopped for emission testing the drivers just pay a bribe and are let on their way. I have seen this first hand. Smog here on calm days is terrible.
It's illegal to burn garbage but it happens especially on the city outskirts and in the countryside.  The habit is to do it just before dawn so it's nice to wake up to the smell of burning plastic  every morning.
I have witnessed how the effect of five rubbish fires in the hills just east of Baguio can spread smoke for hundreds of square kilometres. People think it's the dawn mist!
The city does have an air monitoring station in the middle of Burnham Park away from the traffic. The only evidence of reported air quality measurements I have seen was taken at 04:30am when there is hardly any traffic.  So you can see how serious this country is at not dealing with this major health hazard.
The sad truth is everyone ends up getting poisoned, even those in charge with dealing with the problem!

I was really shocked at the first time I left the international Terminal at Ninoy Airport, started wheezing almost immediately.  I found some places I visited on Leyte where the air wasn't smoggy. Palo and Lake Danao were pretty clean, along with some mountain towns. Siquijor was not bad most places.

I recall as a kid how the air was before unleaded gasoline and automobile catalytic converter in the US, and this brings back those memories.

I might try a mask my next visit.  The soot spewed out by the diesel vehicles are unbelievable.

There really is no fix because the people here seem to be more focused on doing whatever they feel like regardless of the rules. If you report them then you become a target...

Alas it is a burden to be endured.  No point in complaining.  I'm just resigned to hiding in my ac room during the burns.

There are pollutants in air that are not visable to eye. Only the people air measuring equipment can detect them. Since there is very little enforcement nothing is being done to degree that needs to be. Same goes for hazardous waste (I.e. batteries trash, oil, paints etc..), household waste, landfills and on and on.

But flip side is that one while in the USA we did the same thing. When a river caught fire and other issues we start taking note of this problem.

Not sure what it's going to take for these issues to become a priority. Corruption is a major part for this as well. Along with disregard for following rules and lack teaching in these areas l.

Where are you located?  We are leaving Ormoc for Manila tomorrow, with me flying out Thursday. Not looking forward to leaving her, but she has a US embassy Visa interview April 29.

Yeah, it's bad, especially this time of year when there's not many storms and the temp is rising as we approach the hot season. It is a combination of vehicle emissions, cooking fires and burning of trash and leaves to prevent mosquitoes. To us westerners it's shocking -  especially to see the jeepneys spewing out black smoke as they pass by children and other pedestrians. But among locals there just doesn't seem to be much awareness or concern. I see joggers and cyclists working out in it. I bike too, but only up into the mountains, and only early in the morning when the air is cleanest.

We live on a hill and in the morning the visibility is usually good, by late in the day it gets a lot worse from the traffic and the cooking fires.  It seems worse this year due to lack of rain. I feel bad for those living near the roadways, and the school kids exposed to the pollutants. It is always the poor who feel the effects of industrial pollution the worst. We are here mainly for the schools but I have told my GF we need to leave the city soon because this can't be healthy.

There are steps one can take to reduce exposure. We live above Cebu City, and away from the main road, which helps a lot, and generally at night the breeze clears things out. When it is bad we close up the condo and run the AC in late afternoon and early evening . We own a car, and always use the AC RECIRC setting - you can smell the air on the roadway immediately if it isn't on. Then we open things back up at night. Only work out in the morning and avoid major roadways. When storms come through later in the year the air is a lot better.

All that being said, it is not as bad as the air in India, or many cities in China. And Thailand is about the same, and worse in the spring burning season, unless you are down on the peninsula. Vietnam is bad too. I think a lot of Southeast Asia is this way, it's just that we aren't used to it. These countries are still in the industrialization phase, but there are certainly steps that could be taken, like eliminating the older jeepneys.

A recent international report ranked the Philippines fairly high within Southeast Asia on air quality but once again I noticed no results were included for Cebu. The real issues here are being masked by a lack of air quality monitoring stations. Here are some maps and further info:

https://www.airvisual.com/world-air-qualityhttp://www.interaksyon.com/trends-spotl … g-systems/

I have been in Singapore and Malaysia during the annual big haze from Indonesia, a real catastrophe !!! When I lived in Jakarta for few months I had respiratory problems... never had respiratory problems in the Philippines. Compare to its neighbors Philippines is like the countryside ! I dread the day the philippines will as polluted as cities of China. But the Philippines has no big industries so I dont think  they will reach this level of pollution

I have read Manila is the worst, with Cebu a close second.  Do you have a motorcycle?

I could not find a motorbike rental in Ormoc, but found a car, the only time I drove on this trip.  It was nice, but ran AC with recirculation on. I was in Cebu yesterday, mainly around Ayala Mall and Basilica Minore de St. Nino. It was typical downtown smog.

I plan to return to Ormoc in late October/early November for a 6 month stay. I may stay at her parent's 4 bedroom home, or rent a place in the province.  Some days, the parents home has good air, other days you can slice it with a knife, depending on wind direction.  I have never had asthma, but the runny nose, coughing, and wheezing aren't fun.

I first came to the Philippines over Thirty Years ago, and believe me. Air Pollution is much better now,  than it was then. Especially Manila. There was a thick yellow "Photochromic Smog" hanging over the City all the time. It stank horribly. Sticking to your Clothes, and affecting Ones Lungs.
The air now. Even if it is not perfect, is better than then. Now cars, and Motorcycles, must have a "Smoke Test" when they are Re-Registered (If they are Re- Registered). So the majority of Smoke Belchers are now off the road.

Burning Rubbish is still a problem. Rubbish collection, especially in the Provinces. Is sadly lacking, or not even available. But at least if the Rubbish is burned. It won't cause Disease.

Of course I have to have my car tested every year, but they are obviously not smoke testing the older jeepneys - the black diesel smoke they spew out is horrible.   The main roads are very polluted here in the city. I follow them all the time and frankly it's shocking to observe. Newer ones are not so bad.

That is good to know. Perhaps it will be a trend, but I noticed on the ferry from Ormoc to Cebu that the smog was shielded by the mountains surrounding Ormoc Bay, not clearing until we were in open water, similar to Los Angeles.

When I return, I will make sure I have masks and inhalers for wheezing.  I may look for a place to rent up the mountain, above the smog.

The trouble with looking for a clean spot you may find its way out side your ladies family area which wont be appealing to her especially if not her language group.
But there are places that relatively clean, they wont however be in a major city.
I spent some time in Bohol travelling around the island and its very clean. The Governor and the mayor of the major town have brought some strict rule on pollution and are policing them tightly with a great positive effect . I was rather impressed with the results.

This past week the air quality here in Cebu improved quite a bit compared with a few weeks ago, as we have had good breezes. Good in the morning and at night, great for sleeping with windows open, and we even had a few clear afternoons, although it usually gets hazy in late afternoon for a few hours. I have asthma but it rarely bothers me, and I am also a cyclist so air quality is important to me. Since there are no published PM 2.5 numbers here, I improvise. 

I am in a tower condo on a hill with a view over the city and have mapped line of sight using Google Earth to various landmarks such as Crown Regency 4.5km away.. about 3 miles. Or SM Seaside at 7.5km (5 miles). Bohol in the distance is 45km, or 30 miles. I can then roughly correlate those landmarks to published standards for visible pollution. Note that this is estimated, and I'm at 200m elevation - the pollution will be worse at street level in the city.

If I can see Bohol, as I often can in the morning, that would be considered very GOOD air quality by any standards. 45km visibility means very little particle pollution, at least up here at 200m elevation. It is still  not good along major roadways where emissions are localized, but the overall air quality would be considered fine.

The air always degrades during the day due to vehicle emissions and burning. Best to exercise in the morning. On breezy days the air quality probably gets no worse than the Yellow zone or MODERATE, even in afternoon, which should not be harmful for light exercise. Many US cities for example, have levels that high during the day. Right now at 2 pm I can still see the outline of Bohol in the distance, barely. It will get worse from 3-7pm then it usually clears out.

But if there is no breeze it can get really smoggy in the afternoon and sometimes I can't see SM Seaside or the water (5 miles away), which would indicate particle pollution is Orange, or UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS. Probably worse at street level in the city. It is like that a lot in Feb and March here if there is no breeze and no rain. Stay inside and don't use jeepneys. I also don't let the boys run in the afternoon when it's that bad.

If the haze were so thick that I couldn't see much beyond the Crown Regency, 3 miles away, then the air would be in the red zone - UNHEALTHY for ALL GROUPS. Time for everyone to stay inside with the AC on. But it is rarely that bad here that I have seen, at least where I am. During evening rush hour at street level it might be. Also important to note that this is the dry and hot season. Later in the year rain storms clear things out more.

The first 2 months in Metro Manila were hell. My throat hurt for 24 hours after taking an hour's walk outside. But funny thing is, after that I got used to it.

I still avoid going outside during rush hour but it appears the body can adapt to poison conditions!

I think it is much better in the province. I take a 35 minute walk every day along the national highway in Ilocos Sur, never have any air breathing problems, even when they are burning trash and garbage.

moonunit0103 wrote:

Hi,

In the 8 weeks I have been here in the Philippines, I have been shocked at the level of air pollution, especially in the cities. Manila and Cebu are especially bad, but Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Ormoc, and Tacloban are dirty also

I lived in the Philippines in 1980 and 1981 and the air pollution then was much worse.  In face, when I came back to the Philippines in 2019, I was shocked at how clean the air is now.  We live in Tacloban.  The city is filthy, but the air isn't too bad I think.