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A mangrove swamp. Photo: Wikipedia Will mangroves be an effective barrier against onslaught of  stormy waves? In the aftermath of widespread destruction in Eastern Visayas brought about by super typhoon Yolanda last Nov. 8, 2013, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was immediately tasked to come out with an effective plan to at least mitigate the negative impacts of super typhoons upon the coastal areas in the areas devastated by the recent calamity . The DENR's task at hand seems to be a gargantuan feat that needs extra-cautious attention from those who are supposed to undertake the project. The topic I'm referring to revolves around a scheme that will identify coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean to be planted with mangroves. According to Wikipedia, "mangroves are various types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes 25° N and 25° S. T...

Firemen help retrieve a body from the heaps of debris. Photo: Flickr From what I've witnessed on the boob tube a few days after super typhoon Yolanda (international code name; Haiyan) struck Eastern Visayas, the influx of people had flooded the airport in their desperate attempt  to escape the devastation and hunger in Tacloban City and elsewhere in Leyte and Samar. I could see their turgid faces painted with frustrations and fears. From media interviews, they said that they just wanted to get away from the bad situation for a while. Their destination was either the cities of Manila or Cebu. However, the C-130 cargo planes of the Philippine Air Force and US Air Force could only accommodate at least 170 people each. The situation had left more and more people scrambling to have a free ride to their destinations. As desperate people lined up at the airport, relief goods distributors, rescuers and cleaners from Metro Manila and other foreign countries were busy doing their dut...