DENR cites JHMC for John Hay environment
>> Friday, March 18, 2016
BAGUIO CITY
- For maintaining good environment, monitoring air quality and
protecting its forest cover, Environment Assistant Secretary and Environmental
Management Bureau director Juan Miguel Cuna lauded John Hay Management
Corp. for partnering with them in installation of Continuous Ambient Air
Monitoring Machine Station, an aid in making programs to assure good air
quality within the Camp John Hay Reservation Area.
“The installation of
the CAAMMS is a very important move. This is a state of the art equipment
that allows us to monitor the quality of air in our respective areas which can
serve as a guide in coming up with actions and strategies to address air
pollution,”.
Cuna made
these remarks after he and Dr, Jamie Eloise M.
Agbayani, JHMC president and CEO
signed memorandum of agreement
Feb. 24 at the Bell House in Camp John Hay.
Also present to
witness the signing were DENR acting regional director Engr. Maria Dorica Hipe
, DENR-CAR regional director Ralph C. Pablo, and EMB CAR regional
director Reynaldo S. Digamo
According to a
data from the Governance Commission for GOCC, JHMC is the only government-owned
and controlled corporation (GOCC) that measures air quality.
With signing of
agreement, JHMC would be able to identify measures to mitigate effects of
climate change in Baguio through the expertise of the DENR-EMB as our partner.
Together, we will be strengthening our sustainable forest management plan
within the Camp John Hay Reservation while we continue to provide
job opportunities for the Cordillera Region,” Agbayani added.
Pablo said, “The
installation of the monitoring station at Camp John Hay is a means to share the
message that not all areas in the City have bad air quality. There are
other areas such as Camp John Hay which has a good air quality index
that can serve as a benchmark owing to its sustainable environment management
plan.”
The latest
ambient air monitoring conducted by the DENR-EMB during the last quarter
of 2015 at the Mile Hi Center yielded 8 µg/m3,
while the Baguio Ayala Technohub recorded a 10 µg/m3 of PM10
which are within the Good Air Quality Index.
The Mile Hi
Center has been maintaining a good air quality index for the
past seven years, since the monitoring commenced; while the Ayala
Technohub has maintained a good air quality index for the past three years,
following its opening in 2012. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of
the Clean Air Act gave a ceiling of 150 µg/m3 for a passing air
quality index.
The latest monitoring
was done during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) holiday from
November 16-20, when thousands of visitors trooped to Baguio. This also
coincided with the Philippine Mining Safety Engineers Association (PMSEA)
Conference. The November 30 to December 6 monitoring meanwhile coincided
with the Foodies at the Hub, another crowd drawing event
by the Ayala Techno Hub establishments.
Pablo said that
the move of JHMC to install a monitoring station is a laudable one as it
shows their concern for the environment and the air that people breathe.
The MOA states
the shared responsibility of JHMC and the DENR-EMB to ensure the station
will be fully utilized and taken cared of as a primary source of air quality
monitoring information.
The project costs P10
million which allocation includes the equipment capital outlay and annual
maintenance for parts and services.
The MOA also says that
the CAAMS will be maintained and secured by JHMC with the technical assistance
of the DENR. The JHMC will shoulder the electric consumption and
will ensure the security of the CAAMS. On top of this, additional fencing
expenses was also approved by the JHMC Board of Directors.
“The stewardship
of the forest is our paramount concern in order to protect the last bastion of
the forested area in the City of Baguio” said Pres. Agbayani.
The agreement marks
the first step toward the real time air quality information within the 625
hectares of government land.
Cuna said “We would
like to assure the public that the DENR-EMB will be assisting the JHMC in
preserving the remaining forest cover at Camp John Hay. It is but proper to
monitor the air quality of the City of Baguio to properly address air
pollution problems and climate change with the development
infused. This is the biggest program that the Aquino administration has
been giving attention to for the past few years with the help of various
sectors not only from the government but also from the private sect.”
He added“this
partnership will bring to fruition JHMC’s vision to be the leader in forest and
environment stewardship in the Philippines by 2018.”
Director Pablo
stressed the importance of trees by saying, “If there are many trees, it
follows that the air is better. It is important for people, not just in the
city but in other regions for them to value the trees for the sake of the air
to breathe.”
Camp John Hay
was the US military’s rest and recreation facility which was turned over to the
Philippine government. It was placed under the stewardship of the Bases
Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) following enactment of the law that
created it. JHMC, the BCDA’s subsidiary directly manages the reservation.
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