A school module published in 2009 — the Mangrove Resource and Instruction for Elementary Grades — already differentiated storm surges from tsunamis. Funded by P1 million from my Pew Fellowship grant to cover module writing, production and printing costs, I convinced the teachers-writers of the need to include natural disasters. By now, most Filipinos are familiar with mangroves, hence the popularity of mangrove planting and mangrove runs, especially among the youth and civil society. Beach flora comprise 150-200 species, including 70-100 trees such as talisay, dangcal, ipil, calumpang and dapdap (Primavera and Sadaba, 2012: Beach Forests and Mangrove Associates in the Philippines).

Primavera, J. H. (2013, December 19). Shelter from the storm: Coastal greenbelts of mangroves and beach forests. The Philippine Star, pp. B-6, B-7.