Provincial and city disaster officials in Bohol issued health warnings and at least one municipality suspended classes this week after transboundary haze from forest fires in Indonesia degraded air quality across the province.
The Bohol Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said haze was recorded in the municipality of Panglao and poor air quality was detected in Tagbilaran City, though exact AQI readings for Panglao were not immediately available.
PDRRMO head Anthony Damalerio told DYTR News his office coordinated with the Office of Civil Defense in Central Visayas, which confirmed the haze in Panglao.
Gov. Aris Aumentado issued an advisory in response, though details of the directive were not immediately released.
Officials urged residents to wear face masks outdoors to protect against respiratory effects from the polluted air.
In Bilar, Mayor Norman Palacio ordered the suspension of kindergarten, elementary and secondary classes in public and private schools effective immediately, with no set date given for resumption.
The municipal government said the haze stemmed from smoke originating from forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia, carried by prevailing winds toward the Philippines.
Officials asked residents to stay indoors when possible and directed school heads to promptly implement the suspension order. It was not clear how many students were affected.
Tagbilaran City’s air quality fluctuated sharply over several days, according to the Tagbilaran City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
The Air Quality Index fell to 38.8 by 8:15 a.m. Sept. 4, down from 108 the day before — an improvement from “very unhealthy” to “unhealthy.”
CDRRMO head Gerard Labadia said the city’s air had earlier reached an AQI of 150, compared with a normal range of 25.1 to 45.1, before easing to 50, still within the “unhealthy” category. It was not immediately clear when the haze first reached the city or how long officials expect it to persist.
Labadia said the smoke remained dangerous, particularly for children, older residents and people with asthma or heart disease, and advised against prolonged outdoor activity.
No hospitalizations or health complaints linked to the haze had been reported as of press time.
The office is coordinating with the Department of Education on potential class cancellations should conditions worsen, and it urged the public to wear face masks outdoors.
The Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas said the haze, linked to peatland and forest fires in Kalimantan, has pushed air quality to “very unhealthy” levels in parts of Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar.
A monitoring station in Talisay City, Cebu recorded an AQI peak of 172. EMB-7 air quality specialist Arthur Niño Calupig said the pollution is being driven north by the southwest monsoon, or habagat, and that its duration depends on how long the Indonesian fires burn and how wind patterns shift.
No flight or ferry disruptions tied to reduced visibility had been reported.
The Department of Health and EMB-7 recommended residents limit outdoor exposure, wear N95 or KN95 masks, keep windows closed and use air purifiers where available, and seek medical attention for respiratory symptoms.
The state weather bureau PAGASA said upcoming rain could temporarily clear the air, but the haze may return periodically unless fire-suppression efforts in Indonesia succeed.
School safety drill
The Department of Education’s Bohol Division held a National Simultaneous School Safety Drill on Sept. 3 to test school preparedness for active-threat scenarios, separate from the province’s ongoing haze response.
DRRM coordinator Phillip Marcelo Vigonte said the drill, conducted at public schools province-wide under a directive from DepEd’s central office, involved police, emergency and medical personnel, teachers and students.
Schools were allowed to set their own drill schedules to accommodate other activities. Vigonte said the exercise followed an earlier orientation for school heads, police, parent-teacher associations and disaster response personnel, aimed at clarifying each group’s role in an active-attack situation.
PHOTO FROM: INTERNET