Slow damage is happening above — but what is driving it?
Embedded Files
The Sierra Madre is often called Luzon’s Natural Shield. Its forests weaken typhoons, stabilize soil, and protect watersheds.
When trees are removed, the mountain doesn’t just lose greenery — it loses its ability to protect life below.
THE REALITY BEHIND THE TREES
Illegal logging continues through selective cutting, small-scale timber extraction, and disguised land clearing. Even partial forest removal fragments habitats and weakens slope stability. Once the canopy breaks, forests become more vulnerable to fires, erosion, and further encroachment.
WHEN THE MOUNTAINS COULDN'T HOLD THE RAIN
In November 2020, Typhoon Ulysses struck Luzon with intense rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding across Metro Manila, Rizal, and nearby provinces. Entire communities were submerged, rivers overflowed, and water levels rose to rooftops in some areas. More than 5 million people were affected, with widespread infrastructure damage and loss of livelihoods.
But what made the disaster especially alarming was not just the rain — it was what the mountains could no longer absorb.
Unabated quarrying and logging in the Sierra Madre mountain range and other mountainous areas in Luzon have contributed to the disastrous flooding following the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses.
“If a watershed is no longer healthy, when there are no trees and no vegetation, runoff water can easily travel down from the mountains and toward the rivers and other channels," Ana Celestial, Agham education and public information officer, said in a online forum.
WHEN PROTECTION IS CUT OPEN
Mountain ecosystems are increasingly pressured by infrastructure projects that fragment forests, alter river systems, and open remote areas to further extraction. Roads, dams, and large construction sites not only occupy land — they reshape watersheds and weaken ecological stability.
THE KALIWA DAM PROBLEM
One of the most controversial projects in the Sierra Madre is the Kaliwa Dam, part of the government’s effort to secure long-term water supply for Metro Manila.
The dam is designed to draw water from the Kaliwa River and reduce dependence on Angat Dam. While framed as a solution to water scarcity, the project has sparked strong environmental and social opposition.
Forest loss and habitat disruption in a biodiversity-rich portion of the Sierra Madre
Threats to wildlife corridors and watershed integrity
Flooding of ancestral lands and displacement concerns among Indigenous communities
Increased landslide and erosion risks linked to large-scale construction in fragile mountain terrain
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse