‘The mountains protect us’: safeguards sought for Philippines’ Sierra Madre shield against typhoons

The Sierra Madre on Luzon island, Philippines. About 1,500 households will be affected by the construction of the Kaliwa dam in the mountain range, a study says. Photograph: Jacob Maentz/Alamy

As Super Typhoon Noru made landfall in the Philippines last month and people across the main island of Luzon braced for impact, the country’s largest mountain range – the Sierra Madre – began to trend online.

One image shared widely on Twitter was taken from a weather report, showing Noru moving over the range.