The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), through its Air Quality Management Section, recently convened air quality management technical personnel nationwide for the
2025 National Air Quality Management Workshop. Held from May 19 to 23, 2025, in Dumaguete City, the workshop, themed “Strengthening Monitoring, Compliance and Innovation in Air Quality Management,” aimed to assess progress, address operational concerns, and align strategies for the continued enhancement of air quality management in the country.
OIC Assistant Secretary for Environment and Concurrent EMB Director Jacqueline A. Caancan underscored the urgent need for decisive and collective action. In her welcome message, Asec. Caancan emphasized the critical challenges posed by industrial pollutants, climate change, and industrial emissions. “We must elevate our efforts through enhanced collaboration, cutting-edge precision, and groundbreaking innovation,” she stated. “Our shared insights are the building blocks of cleaner air, which in turn nourishes cleaner, greener, and healthier communities across our nation.”
Representatives from EMB Regional Offices provided comprehensive updates on the status of ambient air quality monitoring stations, covering operations, data capture rates, siting, and connectivity. They also reported on the Adopt-an-Ambient Monitoring/outsourced stations initiative, the utilization of Air Quality Management MOOE funds for Calendar Year 2024, and regional experiences and training needs related to stack sampling equipment.
Further discussions included the configuration and connectivity of CEMS/COMS DAHS, the issuance of Permits to Operate (PTO), monitoring activities compared to the total number of firms, and operational issues with the OPMS PTO system. Meanwhile, Central Office personnel from the AQMS delivered crucial technical presentations. These included assessments of air quality monitoring stations and their data capture performance, the development of a sustainability plan for station maintenance, and draft guidelines on the use of low-cost sensors. The proposed Stack Sampling Manual, 2024 Key Result Areas (KRA), and the procurement status of stack sampling equipment were also discussed.
Additional topics covered regional submissions and presentations of 2024 Mass Emission Rate Standards (MERS) data and existing sources, CY 2024 exceedance analysis, updates on exempted sources under Annex C of MC 2020-17 (PTO Issuance Guidelines), CEMS/COMS connectivity issues and timeline assessments, draft guideline values for hydrogen sulfide (H2S), updates on air quality indices, and initial findings from the UP-Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology’s study on microplastics in ambient air. A key component of the workshop involved practical workshops and hands-on exercises focusing on the Updated National Ambient Air Quality Information System (NAAQIS) and the newly developed Online Stack Sampling and Monitoring System (OSSMS).
This workshop served as a vital platform not only for evaluating progress and sharing best practices but also for fostering enhanced collaboration and innovation among
EMB’s dedicated air quality managers. The event strongly reaffirms EMB’s unwavering commitment to advancing evidence-based air quality governance, ultimately striving for a healthier environment for all Filipinos.