Before this Leyte provincial capital and regional center of Eastern Visayas was battered by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) seven years ago, many residents had been treating their mangrove forests as just part of the landscape. Girlie Obillo, 43, a resident of San Jose District, said mangroves then were cut either for firewood or to clear the path of a passing vessel, despite the absence of a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Danilo Elias, 62, said it used to pain him to see how his neighbors would just cut down some of the mangroves he planted. He was among the more than 20 residents who volunteered to plant more than 500 propagules in the 1990s under a DENR program.

Gabieta, J. (2020, November 15). Yolanda's unlikely heroes. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A8.