FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 5, 2018

“In the Philippines alone, air pollution is causing about 120,000 deaths every year.”Said Engr. Bonifacio Magtibay of WHO Philippines. And as stated by the recently published WHO Study on Air Pollution, 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air and 1 in 9 dies from this invisible killer.

Ramon San Pascual, Executive Director of the global nonprofit health & environment organization, Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Asia expressed that, “Clean air is a basic requirement, not just for maintaining a sustainable planet, but more so, for human health and well-being. It is a basic human right.”He adds that the health care sector in the Philippines together with WHO, is alarmed at the worsening health cases caused by ambient and indoor air pollution.

Therefore, in an aim to consult and consolidate the health care sector's leadership on the worsening impacts of air pollution on human health, doctors, writers, medical and public health students including representatives from WHO Philippines, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) and Greenpeace Philippines gathered for a Round Table Discussion on Air Pollution and its Health Risks led by the Healthy Energy Initiative (HEI) program of HCWH Asia in Quezon City last week.

"The very vision of this activity is to establish a network of health professionals, students and even health workers to become leaders on the air quality alleviation campaign in the country. Furthermore, to express commitment in helping the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Health (DOH) on their own air quality efforts to eventually lower the health hazards caused by air pollution."said Paeng Lopez of the Healthy Energy Initiative. 

In addition, June is not only the commemoration of the World Environment Day but also the month of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 which reiterates the State’s duty of providing its constituents clean air to breathe and to allow them to participate in the decision-making process concerning plans and programs that may have adverse impact on the environment and public health.###

As a result, the health care network led by HCWH Asia, drafted a Statement of Commitment that states the following and to be submitted to the DENR Secretary, Roy Cimatu this June: 

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To know more about our Air Quality Alleviation campaign, please visit our Social Media accounts found in the upper right of this page or send an email to info@no-harm.org 

And join the online conversation, #IamForCleanerAir | #IamForAhealthyFuture