Sierra Madre not the Philippines' 'first line of defense' – storm chaser
STORM SHIELD. Dark clouds loom over the Sierra Madre mountain range as seen from the Casili River in Barangay Pintong Bukawe, San Mateo, Rizal on Monday, 10 November 2025. According to PAGASA, the rugged terrain of Luzon — including the Sierra Madre — helped weaken Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong) as it crossed the country’s landmass.
Photo by Analy Labor for DAILY TRIBUNE
According to iCyclone storm chaser Josh Morgerman, Sierra Madre is not the Philippines’ 'first line of defense' against typhoons.
In a social media post on 9 November, the veteran storm chaser said that the mountain range weakens typhoons after its landfall.
“Many folks are posting misinformation about the Sierra Madre Mountains in the Philippines. Let me set the record straight: The Sierra Madre chain weakens typhoons after they make landfall on the east coast of Luzon. These mountains do not protect the east coast of Luzon, which regularly experiences some of the strongest tropical‑cyclone impacts in the world,” the post read.
He added another post on Monday evening stating “The Sierra Madre Mountains weaken typhoons. But this only happens after communities on Luzon's east coast take the full force,”
It can be noted that the east coast provinces are hit hard by the Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), such as Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora (in Central Luzon), Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, as well as Catanduanes island province.
A 2023 study by Bagtasa and Racoma titled ‘Does the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in Luzon Act as a Barrier to Typhoons?’ says that it can reduce rainfall and wind exposure in some areas of the Cagayan Valley, however it has no impact on tropical cyclones traversing over Luzon.
Plea for protection
Hundreds of posts across social media platforms call for the further protection of the mountain range which stretches from Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and CALABARZON regions.
"Thank you so much, Sierra Madre. Once again, you stood as our shield from the storm. You’re no accident — you were placed with purpose by the One who guards us all," a social media post from Tagamulat read.
Some of the harmful activities done within the mountain range include illegal logging, mining, and construction of subdivision and mining projects in protected areas.
Yes, Sierra Madre cannot provide us with the full protection from the typhoons that come our way. But the point still stands, nature is doing its best to protect us from calamities and we should be able to give back to where the credit is due.