I.

Statement of the Problem

As the DENR points out: “Air pollution is an environmental health risk around the world with
92% of the world’s population exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO’s ambient air quality
guidelines. People in urban areas are more exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution than those in
rural areas. Air pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon, found in both indoor and outdoor
settings, are extremely dangerous to people’s health. When the size of the particulate matter in the air
is 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and below, it penetrates to a person’s lungs and cardiovascular system.”

Air pollution in Barangay Alangilan, Batangas City has always been a problem from the past
decades up to the present day because of obvious reasons that it could generate such as chronic
bronchitis, pneumonia and cardiovascular diseases. From moving cars and inside the households, the
problem directly affects the students, workers, animals and people living in the area.

Air pollution in Barangay Alangilan is caused by several things. First and foremost is the exhaust
from motor vehicles such as the jeepneys, trucks, tricycles and cars that pass by the national road where
most vehicles gets stuck in the traffic making it another contributory factors of air pollution in the
barangay. Second, the exhaust from carinderias and illegal burning or “pagsisiga”. Most public utility
vehicles and other vehicles slips through the exhaust emission tests and gets granted for another
registration even when it has an obvious large amount of smoke being emitted. It is a very common
sight to see cars, PUVs and trucks that are obviously violating the anti-pollution laws but seldom get
their drivers apprehended by the police or traffic law enforcers. There are carinderias that spew out
thick black and white smoke outside their establishment grilling food.

The problem it generates that greatly affects the health and lifestyle of the animals and people
living in the said area such as diseases, and warming of the area makes it an environmental problem.