DFA sends officials to Vietnam to discuss haze issue

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has sent some of its officials to Vietnam to discuss the haze issue affecting the southern parts of the country.

“DFA officials are currently in Hanoi to discuss and address the issue of transboundary haze and other environmental concerns,” DFA spokesman Charles Jose told GMA News Online via text on Tuesday.

“The Philippines takes this matter seriously and will make every effort to ensure that effective regional action is taken to prevent recurring forest and peatland fires that, aside form affecting people's health, also contributes to global warming and risks faced by climate vulnerable communities,” he added.

The statement came after Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, who chairs the House committee on climate change, urged the DFA to invoke the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

The agreement, signed in 2002, compels the 10 ASEAN member-states, including the Philippines, to jointly resolve the effects of transboundary haze pollution caused by land and forest fires.

Indonesia, the epicenter of the ongoing haze problem, is a signatory to the document.

The burning of forests to give way to farming in Indonesia has created a blanket of haze that has already reached its Asian neighbors such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. —KBK, GMA News