The State shall pursue a policy of balancing development and environmental protection.
To achieve this end, the framework for sustainable development shall be pursued. As such, it shall be the policy of the State to:Formulate a holistic national program of air pollution that shall be implemented by the government through proper delegation and effective coordination of function and activities; Encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizen and industries through the application of incentives market-based instruments; Focus primarily on pollution prevention rather than on control and provide for a comprehensive management program on air pollution.Promote public information and education to encourage the participation of an informed and active public in air quality planning and monitoring; and Formulate and enforce a system of accountability for short and long term adverse environmental impact of a project, program or activity. This shall include setting up of a funding or guarantee mechanism for clean-up and environmental rehabilitation and compensation for personal damages.It mandates the various government agencies to do the following in support of the Act:Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – act as overall of the lead agency; prepare a National Air Quality Status Report which shall be used as a basis in formulating the Integrated Air Quality Improvement Framework; issue rules and regulations in the implementation of the Act.Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) – in coordination with the DENR in case of industrial dischargers and the DOTC, in case of motor vehicles, shall, based on environmental techniques, design, impose on and collect regular emission fees from all said dischargers as part of the emission permitting system or vehicle registration renewal system, as the case may be; implement the emission standards for motor vehiclesDepartment of Science and Technology ( DOST) – with the DENR, other agencies, private sector , the academe, non-government organizations and people’s organization, shall establish a National Research Development Program for the prevention and control of air pollution.Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) , DOST Local Government Units (LGUs) - together with the DENR shall develop an action plan for the control and management of air pollution from motor vehicles with the Integrated Air Quality Management Framework.DOTC, DTI and DENR - shall establish the procedures for the inspection of motor vehicles and the testing of their emissions for the purpose of determining the concentration and/or rate of emission of pollutants discharged by the said sources.Department of Energy ( DOE) co-chaired with the DENR, in consultataion with the Bureau of Product Standards of DTI, DOST with the fuel and automotive industries, academe and the consumers
