Cebu experts urge gov’t to comply with WHO air quality standards

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Experts from UP Cebu, in collaboration with Clean Air Asia, are set to deploy new sensor technology to support air quality monitoring in the province

NETWORK. Health professionals, scientists, and environmental advocates launch the Cebu Clean Air Network (Cebu CAN) at the University of the Philippines Cebu on November 13, 2026, calling for stronger measures to address air pollution and protect public health.

CEBU, Philippines – Environmentalists and health and science experts launched the Cebu Clean Air Network (Cebu CAN) on Friday, November 13, to urge the government to take immediate action towards meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Quality Guidelines.

Francis Joseph dela Cruz, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) Partnerships and Advocacy advisor and AktivAsia Co-founder, told Rappler in an interview that the network specifically chose Cebu for the launch due to developments in the province’s struggle for clean air.

“Cebu is a major economic center and it’s here that we find evidence of air pollution. We know where it’s coming from because research showed that 70% of it comes from mobile sources, which means transport and the rest, stationary — coal plants,” Dela Cruz said.

In April, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (DENR-EMB 7) reported “very unhealthy” levels of air quality index (AQI) due to a lack of wind movement and accumulation of vehicle and industrial air pollutants.

“Data from the Talisay City Station confirms a significant and concerning rise in fine particulate matter (PM2.5),” said a DENR-EMB air quality advisory in April.

Cebu also experienced strong haze due to volcanic activity from the Kanlaon Volcano in July and forest fires from Indonesia in September.

The WHO air quality guidelines set an average annual limit of no more than 5 micrograms per cubic meter for concentrations of PM2.5 or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers — these are particulate matter small enough to travel deep into the lungs and even enter the blood stream.

According to Cebu CAN, the country’s current annual…

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