DENR eyes nationwide use of ‘zero-emission’ tricycles

The government on Sunday bared its plan to further bring down the amount of pollutants in Metro Manila air to the standard level, and one of them is to make all tricycles nationwide "zero-emission" vehicles. Secretary Ramon Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said his department wants to reduce the level of total suspended particles (TSP) in Metro Manila air close to the annual standard level of 90 micrograms per cubic meter through technology and partnerships with other agencies. “Never did I entertain in my mind the idea that we cannot solve problems for cleaner air without the help of stakeholders," he said in a recent speech in Quezon City. Paje said this target can be reached by popularizing the use of electric tricycles and jeepneys in the country’s capital region. “The ultimate aim is for our country’s five million tricycles, of which 2.8 million are in Metro Manila, to become zero-emission vehicles," he said. President Benigno Aquino III had already expressed his administration's preference to electric tricycles over oil-powered ones, saying such shift could ease the impact of rising prices of oil and petroleum products. He added that he expects other agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Asian Development Bank to help in DENR’s effort to convert these vehicles ran through fossil fuels to electric ones. Paje also urged local government units (LGUs) to encourage public utility vehicles in their areas to retrofit their engines to enable the use of alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The environment chief also said that he has already talked with Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) officials and several Metro Manila mayors regarding his proposal for a “no exposed soil" policy in the metropolis. Paje explained that MMDA and LGUs should try covering up exposed soil in Metro Manila with different types of plants to reduce the amount of dust in the air. He added that all these projects will be in accordance with Republic Act 8749 or the Philippine Clean Air Act. Last April, the DENR reported a decrease of the TSP in Metro Manila to 121 micrograms per cubic meter from 166 micrograms per cubic meter in December last year. – Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News