Leyte man plants 10,000 mangroves to protect his home from storm surge

A man from Matalom, Leyte planted some 10,000 mangroves all by himself to protect his home from storm surge.

His work has been spotted by netizen Dan Niez, who visited a beach Barangay Punong in October.

Niez took photos and posted them on social media, sharing that the man, Gary Dabasol, has planted and maintained the mangroves for five years now.

"It's only his initiative to grow these mangroves in order to provide breeding ground for fishes and also protect his home from storm surge," Niez said.

Leyte was hit with a devastating storm surge when Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013. Over 6,000 people died, more than 28,000 were injured, and over a thousand went missing, most of them from Eastern Visayas.

According to the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, the use of mangroves is one of the most effective nature-based solutions that can contribute to biodiversity and conservation as well as being a climate change adaptation strategy.

Netizens lauded Tatay Gary's efforts to protect his home as the photos taken by Niez went viral.

—Margaret Claire Layug/MGP, GMA News