The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), through its Air Quality Management Section (AQMS), successfully concluded a five-day public consultation and hands-on workshop from April 21 to 25, 2025, at the View Park Hotel in Tagaytay City. The event focused on enhancing the country’s air quality monitoring framework through two key digital platforms: the Online Relative Accuracy Test Audit System (ORATA) and the National Ambient Air Quality Information System (NAAQIS).

This initiative brought together representatives from EMB Regional Offices, industry stakeholders using Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems (COMS), and Third-Party Relative Accuracy Test Audit (RATA) providers. The workshop is part of the EMB’s ongoing efforts to modernize and streamline air quality monitoring and compliance procedures nationwide.

Participants received training on the NAAQIS, a centralized platform designed to improve communication and data management between EMB Central and Regional Offices. This system digitizes processes like monitoring station updates, calibration schedules, and reporting, aiming for more timely, accurate, and reliable ambient air quality data.

The workshop also delved into Phase II of the ORATA system. ORATA digitizes the submission, observation, and evaluation processes for RATA, Relative Accuracy Audits (RAA), and Cylinder Gas Audits (CGA). This aligns with DENR Administrative Order No. 2007-22 (CEMS Guidelines) and EMB Memorandum Circular No. 2021-02 (mandating remote monitoring technologies). Phase II focuses on gathering user feedback to further enhance the system based on initial rollout experiences.

Through this collaborative event, the EMB strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders, increased awareness of the new systems, and collected valuable input crucial for the successful nationwide implementation and refinement of both ORATA and NAAQIS.