Health Secretary Edwin Mercado told Bilyonaryo News Channel Wednesday night that the peak of the haze will be on Thursday. ''Then, we expect it to slowly decline Sept 4-6,'' he said.

Mercado said this would depend if Indonesian authorities will be able to put out the fires.

He said people with bronchitis should wear N95 face masks because the particles in the haze can cause airways to be irritated. It could cause breathing problems in some cases, he said.

As of 12 noon, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported that "very unhealthy" quality of air was monitored in their stations at Ateneo de Naga University Compound, and in Talisayan, Zamboanga City.

Meanwhile, air "unhealthy for sensitive groups" was also recorded in stations at Batac City, Palawan State University, Bacolod City, Calinan National High School in Davao City, and in Koronadal City.

The monitoring of EMB also shows tair quality in the entire Metro Manila is in "good" and "fair" condition.

The EMB advised the public to regularly check the latest air quality conditions in their areas as it continuously monitors the air quality nationwide through its network of Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) to assess the extent and potential impacts of the haze. Robina Asido/PHS