Noise pollution is a major problem, both for human health and the environment

What are the main conclusions of the second report on environmental noise published by the EEA?
The report shows that environmental noise, and in particular road traffic noise, remains a major environmental
problem affecting the health and well-being of millions of people in Europe. Twenty percent of Europe’s
population are exposed to long-term noise levels that are harmful to their health. That corresponds to more
than 100 million people within Europe. The data also suggests that policy objectives on environmental noise
have not been achieved. In fact, based on our projections, it is unlikely that the number of people exposed to
noise will significantly decrease in the future due to urban growth and increased mobility demand.

What are specific health impacts? How big of a problem is noise pollution compared to air pollution,
for example?
Long-term exposure to noise can cause a variety of health effects including annoyance, sleep disturbance,
negative effects on the cardiovascular and metabolic system, as well as cognitive impairment in children.
Looking at the current data, we estimate that environmental noise contributes to 48,000 new cases of
ischaemic heart disease a year as well as 12,000 premature deaths. In addition, we estimate that 22 million
people suffer chronic high annoyance and 6.5 million people suffer chronic high sleep disturbance. As a result
of aircraft noise we estimate that 12,500 school children suffer reading impairment in school.

Many people don’t realise noise pollution is an important problem, impacting human health, including theirs.
Of course, there are many more premature deaths associated with air pollution than for noise. However, noise
seems to have a larger impact on indicators related to quality of life and mental health. In fact, according to
some World Health Organization (WHO) findings, noise is the second largest environmental cause of health
problems, just after the impact of air pollution (particulate matter).

The report also identifies problems with implementation of the EU’s Environmental Noise Directive.
What are they?
In some countries, there is still a high percentage of data missing in terms of noise maps and action plans.
Noise problems cannot be properly evaluated and addressed if countries, regions and cities don´t produce the
noise maps or the action plans required by the directive.

How is the EEA involved in ensuring policy makers and the public are aware of environmental noise
pollution?
The EEA is in charge of gathering all the information that countries submit under the Environmental Noise
Directive. The current state of knowledge on noise sources and population exposure in Europe is largely based
on this database. We produce a number of reports and assessments based on this data. They help track the
progress made towards meeting noise pollution objectives and can also inform the development of future
environmental action programmes. Apart from the recently published Environmental Noise in Europe report,
there are a number of previous reports on noise undertaken by the EEA, such asQuiet areas in Europe — The
environment unaffected by noise pollution (2016),Unequal exposure and unequal impacts: Social vulnerability
to air pollution, noise and extreme temperatures in Europe (2018). People can also check the noise pollution
information through the EEA noise viewer or the country fact sheets on noise.

What is the EU doing to further address this issue?

Countries, regions and cities are taking a variety of measures to address noise problems. For instance,
installing low noise asphalt on roads, using quiet tyres in public transport vehicles, putting more infrastructure
for electric cars in cities, promoting active travel like walking or cycling, pedestrianisation of streets, etc. A
significant number of cities and regions have also put in place so-called quiet areas, where people can go to
escape city noise. These are mostly green spaces, like parks or nature reserves.

Many of these measures have also proved to be beneficial for reducing air pollution. We see that a way to
increase the impact of noise mitigation measures while optimising costs and efforts could be to design
combined strategies for mitigating noise and air pollution from traffic. If noise measures are not implemented
to address noise problems, it is unlikely that the number of people exposed to noise will significantly decrease
in the future due to urban growth and increased mobility demand. A significant reduction of people exposed
to harmful noise levels is more likely to be achieved by using not only single measures but a combination of
different measures including technological improvements, ambitious noise policies, better urban and
infrastructure planning, and changes in people´s behaviours.

Peris, E. (2020, March). Noise pollution is a major problem, both for human and the environment. European
Environment Agency. https://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/
 Noise: Sick of Sound?
CERTAINLY, the streets of Metro Manila, in their entirety, is no place to go for peace and quiet. A noise expert
has pointed out that the quietest place in the metropolis is a recording studio where the sound-muffling takes
things down to 15 decibels (degree of loudness). It could be that quiet at night in an area outside the center of
a barangay in an island province if there are no insects around.

What’s wrong with noise?

Noise is unwanted man-made sound that penetrates the environment. It is any sound irritating to one’s ear
which comes from an external source. Noise pollution, on the other hand, is environmental pollution
consisting of annoying or harmful noise.

According to the World Health Organization, “The recognition of noise as a serious health hazard as opposed
to a nuisance is a recent development and the health effects of the hazardous noise exposure are now
considered to be an increasingly important public health problem.”

Aside from impaired hearing, noise can cause cardiovascular and psycho-physiological effects, disturb sleep,
interfere with communication, reduce performance (e.g. attentiveness, problem solving, memory), provoke
annoyance and changes in social behavior. Sources of noise pollution include, but is not limited to, roadway
motor vehicles, aircrafts, factories, airconditioners, machines, public address systems, karaoke concerts,
videoke bars, sing-along clubs, loud parties, neighbors, industrial development and construction works.

Noise in PH laws
A close look at the corpus of Philippine environmental legislation reveals that what constitutes noise appears
to be universal though coached in different ways. The Sanitation Code, or PD 856 (1975), classifies excessive
noise as a nuisance, meaning anything that injures health, endangers life, offends the senses or produces
discomfort to the community while the Environment Code, PD 1152 (1977) defines noise as an unwanted
sound from a known source.

Pertinently, a definition in the Clean Air Act, RA 8749 (1991) says, “Air pollutant means any matter found in the
atmosphere other than oxygen, nitrogen water vapor, carbon dioxide and the inert gases in their natural or
normal concentrations, that is detrimental to health or the environment, which includes but is not limited to
smoke, dust, soot, cinders, fly ash, solid particles of any kind, gases, fumes, chemical mists, stream or
radioactive substances.” In short, air pollution consists of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants such as
nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. Since noise is not matter
but energy, it is not an air pollutant, according to some legal minds. Be that as it may, the same Clean Air Act
classifies noise as an emission, i.e. an unwanted sound from a known source which is passed into the
atmosphere.

Early on, the Civil Code, RA 386 (1950 as amended) says unwanted noise may fall under the classification of a
nuisance, as it injures, annoys, endangers, or offends the senses. There is also the law on unjust vexation in the
Revised Penal Code, RA 3815 (as amended) which, as further interpreted by the Supreme Court, is any human
conduct which, although not productive of some physical or material harm, would unjustly annoy or irritate an
innocent person. The paramount question is whether the offender’s act causes annoyance, irritation, torment,
distress or disturbance to the mind of the person to whom it is directed.

Noise-related legal actions

Actually, two kinds of noise stand out in this jurisdiction — industrial noise pollution and non-industrial noise
pollution. Industrial noise is that unwanted sound emitted by machines and equipment found in a workplace
such as generators and engines. Non-industrial noise, on the other hand, is community noise, also known as
domestic noise. It ranges from sources such as airconditioning systems, office machines, home appliances and
neighbors.

Of the two, industrial noise pollution is prominently actionable because it is related to occupation or the
workplace. In fact, there is a Bureau of Working Conditions and an Institute of Occupational Health and Safety
under DoLE with the function of “undertaking continuing studies and research on occupational health and
safety of employees in their working environment. Labor regulations spell out specific occupational limits for
the length of time a worker may be exposed to noise of different decibel levels. The limits are based solely on
the threat to hearing not on any other health effects of noise.

The noise produced by public or private infrastructure constructions is governed by the Environmental
Compliance Certificate (ECC) conditions for environmentally critical projects as determined by the
Environmental Management Bureau of the DENR. Non-compliance with the conditions is subject to penalties
and sanctions.
Tolentino, A. S., Jr. (2018, October 6). Noise: Sick of Sound? The Manila Times.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/10/06/opinion/analysis/noise-sick-of-sound/448784/amp/
Public urged to report 'noise' disrupting blended learning
MANILA – The Joint Task Force Covid Shield on Tuesday urged the public to report to local officials those who
create unnecessary noise that disrupts online classes and modular learning of students in their homes.

Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, task force commander, said Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Camilo
Cascolan, has ordered the establishment of barangay assistance centers that would be manned by at least two
police officers.

The setting up of assistance desks strengthens the existing policy where a police officer is assigned to act as a
quarantine rules supervisor who leads village watchmen in enforcing quarantine protocols. “We also
encourage the parents and even the students themselves to let us know the noisy activities of their neighbors
during their study time. We have hotlines and even a Facebook account to receive your complaints and we
assure you of immediate action,” said Eleazar.

If possible, Eleazar said the complainant could shoot photos or take videos of drinking session and use of
videoke that could be used against the violators.

He said the police force has also intensified its enforcement of local ordinances aimed at ensuring that learners
would not be disrupted during online classes.

Among these are ordinances against drinking in public and ordinances regulating the use of videoke. Eleazar,
also PNP deputy chief for administration, said blended learning methods implemented by the Department of
Education amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) threat has practically turned every community into a
learning space.

"Our students experience difficulty in adjusting because we are doing this for the first time. Let us not add to
their burden. Remember, your right to engage in noisy talks in your neighborhood ends when the right of the
students to study in peace and in silence begins. Your right to sing using your videoke also ends when the right
of the students not to be distracted to focus on their learning modules begins.  Sisiguraduhin namin na
mananagot kayo (We will make sure to go after you),” said Eleazar.

Eleazar said that since some of the LGUs already have ordinances regulating the use of videoke for instance,
some of the provisions could be amended to include prohibition in the use of the videoke machine during the
time that students are attending online classes or answering modules.

Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas ordered the five police
districts in Metro Manila to coordinate with local officials of barangays to address the maintaining order in
communities amid the blended learning system being observed, The five police districts under NCRPO are the
Manila Police District (MPD), Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Northern Police District (NPD), Southern
Police District (SPD), and Eastern Police District (EPD).

"For now, we have already issued a directive to our police officers to coordinate with the barangays. The
directive from Camp Crame is close coordination with the barangay to check na dapat hindi maingay (that
there must be no unnecessary noise)," Sinas told reporters in a press conference at Camp Bagong Diwa in
Taguig City.

Sinas said there is no report yet on arrests made against violators of protocols or those who have been
disturbing online learners by making noise in communities, including videoke sessions.

Caliwan, C. L. (2020, October 6). Public urged to report ‘noise’ disrupting blended learning. Philippine News
Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117621
 Gollingan, Shanshine G. STEM 4
Cluster B-3 San Juan

Regina Paz "Gina" La'O López 

López was the daughter of ABS-CBN Chairman Emeritus Eugenio López, Jr. of Iloilo
and Conchita La'O of Manila. And was born on December 27, 1953. Lopez diagnosed with
Brain Cancer and later on, died of multiple organ failure related to the disease at Makati
Medical Center on August 19, 2019. She has six siblings including ABS-CBN Chairman
Eugenio López III. Lopez went to Assumption College and Newton College of the Sacred
Heart in Boston (which was later integrated into Boston College). She held a master's degree
in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. She has two sons.
She became an Ananda Marga yoga missionary who taught yoga, and ran pre-primary
schools and children's homes for the underprivileged. She lived among the people of slum
areas in Africa guided by the slogan ‘Service to humanity is service to God’. When she
returned to the Philippines, she initiated corporate social responsibility programs for the
environment and Filipino communities. She became the Managing Director of the ABS-CBN
Foundation. (PeoplePill, 2019)

Lopez landed the job of acting environment secretary when President Rodrigo
Duterte came to power in 2016. She wasted no time in going after major mining companies
that she said had flagrantly violated environmental laws. She ordered 23 mines to shut
down and several others to suspend operations, and canceled 75 lucrative contracts for
mines that she said threatened watersheds. And As an advocate for children's rights, she
founded the Bantay Bata 163, a helpline devoted to reports of cases of child abuse.

According to the Francisco, I. (2019, August), she dedicated her life to paying it forward.
Gina was a woman who did not think twice about giving back to her community. Gina
created a legacy that will continue to impact and influence the country for years to come.
She was a staunch eco-warrior who fought to better the country’s environmental efforts,
and educate people on the value of caring for mother earth. As the force behind Bantay
Kalikasan, Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and government secretary for the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, her efforts made waves for Kapit Bisig
Para sa Ilog Pasig, No To Mining in Palawan, the reforestation of the La Mesa Watershed
amongst many other environmental advocacies. Gina even held educational TV programs
like "G Diaries" in order to spread the word on the importance of going green..