this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. this week on the travel show, i'm in the philippines, finding out how the island of siargao is bouncing back after being hit by a super typhoon. we went through the worst in our lives, and we kind of helped each other bounce back. ok, so this leg down, this leg up. oh my god, are you serious? striking a pose for the human drones.

watch your head! and i'm journeying into the realm of the stingless jellyfish. humans are not part of their diet, so you're fine. this week i'm in the philippines, on the island of siargao, some 700 kilometres south—east of the country's capital manila. named after a native mangrove, the island became famous for its surfing scene, considered the best in the philippines.

but the main draw for many is siargao�*s largely unspoilt natural environment. and when you are zipping around on a bike it's easy to see how stunning this place is. in 2019 siargao was voted the best island in asia, and was dubbed the next bali, with plans for further development on the horizon. in december 2021, everything changed. category 5 super typhoon 0dette hit the island off—guard, with wind speeds of up to 195km/h. these winds caused huge amounts of damage, while storm surges flooded coastal areas.

oh my gosh. so it has been a little over a year since super typhoon 0dette hit this island, but you can still see the scars. it has been a tough time for the islanders, who are so heavily reliant on tourism. visitor numbers have almost halved since 2019, following the double whammy of the global pandemic and the typhoon. but the industry is slowly recovering, and developing new and resilient tourism strategies. this farm offers visitors the chance to learn how the island is evolving.

siargao relies heavily on food imports, so wants to grow more of its own crops. and tourists who want to try something away from the beaches get tojoin in. the tour company we have created is called lokal experience, so it's all about experiencing the local livelihoods and the local ways of life, and part of it that they really enjoy is they really get to interact the locals, people like our farmers who spearhead the tours, hear their stories, hear about our lives. we will do... analyn is originally from siargao and returned home ten years ago after working as a nurse in manila. you need to put one, only one seed per... 0k. and what was it like here during typhoon odette? there was something like two stages. because in the first

stage there is wind... and heavy rains, i wasjust smiling, ah, this is normal. because here in the island it is normal, that every december, every rainy season it is something like a typhoon every day. tropical storm. yeah. then there is one, two, three, four successive... something like 30 minutes go by, going bang, iwasjust there, and then... the roof of the house is all gone, and i am so really worried about time. wow. but you've rebuilt. yeah, still when it rains hard, it is like going again, so that was my really really, very traumatic experience.

in some ways life after 0dette was the worst part. the island was completely cut off and supplies ran out fast. so were you here during 0dette, typhoon odette? i was here during 0dette. probably the worst experience of my life. there wasn't any power, there wasn't any water, and so for the first few weeks we were just eating whatever was left over on the fridges. i mean, hoping that it wouldn't spoil. and at a certain point i realised that the fishermen weren't going out to sea, because there wasn't any fresh produce in the markets. fishing communities were severely affected, with many fishing boats damaged or destroyed during the typhoon.

david decided to help. the best way to do it was to help repairfishing boats, so we could get them out on the water right away, so that's what we did. i used a service like a platform to raise money. i was planning maybe 30 boats, we end up helping maybe 360 boats. 0h great. and do you think that has created more of a bond for you guys? i think so, a lot of the fishermen we have helped before, we still get fish from them now, and we know them more now, because we went through the worst in our lives and we kind of helped each other bounce back. the philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands, surrounded by seas that are heating up. and this, scientists say, puts the nation at a greater risk from climate change.

super typhoon 0dette sadly claimed around 20 lives in siargao — though many believe if it wasn't for the mangroves that cover 50% of the island's coastline, more lives could have been lost. oh, it's vitally important, it's the heartbeat of the island. without the mangroves, the island would be exposed to natural disasters like typhoons and tsunamis and storm surges, which is a regular occurrence in the philippines. this february the philippines government recognised siargao's mangrove forest of del carmen as a wetland of international importance. this is good news when you consider in bygone decades mangroves were ripped up forfirewood and building materials. when we came out the day after 0dette, you could clearly see

that all the leaves of the mangroves were gone, it was bare, it was like a nude mangrove. but the roots and the trunks were all intact, you could really tell those communities were much more protected than those communities that were exposed on the coastline. those were completely, 100% demolished. but those communities that lived behind the mangroves had much less damage. the island might always be in the firing line of extreme weather events. but people here are harnessing the benefits of their natural environment, as they seek to deal with the impacts. and if you're thinking of coming to the philippines anytime soon, here are of the travel show�*s top tips.

siargao's main surfing spot, cloud 9, is not for the faint—hearted. with thick—tubed waves breaking over razor—sharp corals, some pro surfers call it a "death ride". but if surfing isn't your thing, there's plenty of other activities you can do in the water here. you can take a boat trip through the mangroves to end up at sugba lagoon. it looks like a tropical paradise you would see on a postcard — well, if your idea of paradise is throwing yourself off a i2—foot diving board. further afield from the shores of siargao is the island of bohol, the home of the tarsiers. these little animals have been around for 45 million years but are now almost extinct. beware — they're so sensitive that even a camera flash or a touch of a human can severely hurt or even

kill them, so they're best to be looked at from a distance, guided by the volunteers. luzon, the largest island in the philippines, is home to the banaue rice terraces. this unesco world heritage site was carved into the mountainside more than 2,000 years ago using traditional hand tools and techniques. visitors can hike or take guided tours to explore the terraces and learn more about the indigenous people who built them. still to come on the travel show: they're half man and half drone. this arm here? oh, isee! i find out if the human drones are the next social media sensation. and taking a dip with the stingless jellyfish. this jellyfish sanctuary has

millions upon millions ofjellyfish. so, don't go away. this is mountain view, one of the most sought—after photo spots in siargao, and also home to the human drones. wearing sports—style jerseys with their names emblazoned on the back, these guys use their best moves to mimic those of a state—of—the—art drone for tourists' social media accounts, all while trying to avoid oncoming traffic. and the results have gone viral. originally, they would come here to sell bamboo straws to tourists but recently,

they discovered that visitors preferred to part with their cash for stylised social media content. now, it was my turn to become a viral superstar. right, i've got to get my moves down. this arm here? oh, isee! one more. ok, take another pose. another. oh, so this leg down, this leg up. oh, my god. are you serious? oh, that was bad too!

laughs. i've got to work on my moves. i've never seen anything like this before. but in this social media—mad world, i think it's an absolutely brilliant idea. laughs. that looks really cool! i'll leave it to you to decide what looks better, man or drone? i've left siargao to visit the national park on the island of bucas grande which, i'm told, is one of the few places on earth you'll find a certain, rather slimy creature that's not normally that popular.

jellyfish are amazing creatures. they're tough and have been around for eons. but with their foreboding tentacles equipped with venomous stings, it's no surprise they aren't many people's favourite animal. i haven't travelled two hours by boatjust to do some sightseeing. this is the realm of the stingless jellyfish. joining me on the adventure to the sohotonjellyfish sanctuary is christel. she's a student who has been studying these specific species at university. but this will be the first time she sees them in the flesh — well, thejelly.

but getting there won't be easy. we're having to take a bangka, a traditional boat in the philippines, that's narrow enough for gaps like these. it's just through there. watch your head! one more! on the way to the jellyfish sanctuary, we stop off at the luminescent cave that is popular with tourists. but the only way to get access is underwater.

it was really frightening, not seeing where you are going, but once you're in here, it's just such an amazing experience. there's stalactites. and the water, it's an amazing colour. i was expecting it to be completely dark but the rock formations bounce light off the sand to create a kaleidoscope of colours. we are walking through the next cave here... a bit claustrophobic. gosh! tiny bats live inside this cave. they're actually rather cute. climbing all the way up there. well, clouds! duck my head.

yes, watch my head. there is stalactites here. we've climbed up from the bottom and they estimate it's around 50 metres. but there's only one way down. screams. time to head to the main attraction. just passed this small opening is the jellyfish sanctuary. do you think we'll fit! ? it's so small! the sanctuary is otherworldly. huge rocks and densejungle

punch up into the sky. gosh, these stinglessjellyfish — they look like little mushrooms. would you eat them? laughs. no. the water's so clear. carmen, do you want to swim with the jellies? yeah! do it! i can't believe i'm going to swim with jellyfish. so, is there a good way to hold them? am i holding it correctly? the most comfortable way, i guess, would be to hold them bell down, because those tentacle ones are their the tiny, tiny stingers. oh, these ones have tiny stings, but it won't hurt me? it won't hurt you. i don't feel any pain. it feels a little bit slimy. why won't he hurt me if he has got stingers? mostly for their prey, so zooplankton.

but humans are not part of their diet so you are fine. this may look like a lot ofjellyfish but from april, you won't be able to move for them once their breeding season begins. so, why do they like being in this part of the cove? the tides are very strong outside, so this act as a sanctuary that keeps them safe from predators, from strong currents that can carry them elsewhere. so, they are protected by the rocks and the small entrance. the small entrance and the sandbar. these jellyfish are resilient but there are concerns that tourist activities could cause problems. tourist bodies here want visitors to be more mindful when they visit. well, the department of tourism has said that this cove specifically, this shellfish sanctuary, has millions upon millions

ofjellyfish and they do not compare to the amount of tourists that come here, so as long as you try to practise ethical and sustainable ecotourism, it will be good. especially listening to our boatmen and just following all of the regulations set in place. they say to avoid polluting their home with any rubbish, and wear reef—safe sunscreen to protect the ecosystem. also, to treat the jellyfish with respect. only pick them up with advice from a guide and avoid kicking or bumping into them when swimming. this is an amazing experience and taking how dangerous some of their cousins can be, it probably won't be something i get to do again. but seeing these incredible creatures really shows you just how weird and wonderful nature can be.

well, i'm off to swim with my new friends! that's all we've got time for this week. coming up next time. welcome, each and every one of you, to my gadigal people's traditional lands. we are at sydney's enormous month long worldpride festival to find out how indigenous gay and lesbian people are being put front and centre at the celebrations. we tell stories, we pass stories down from generation to generation and that's what we're doing on stage. and you can also catch us on the bbc iplayer, and we are on social media, too, in all the usual places, along with some great travel content from around the bbc. but until then, from all of us here in the philippines, it's goodbye and see you soon.

hello. so far this month has been one where rain clouds have never been far away from us. it's been a particularly wet month for many, so why? well, basically the same reason why i've got rain clouds close by at the moment. big contrast across the united states have been firing up this very active jet stream, which has been always very close to the uk and the northern side of it. areas of low pressure formed this week. we've got a big, broad air of low pressure across the north atlantic, but on the base of that we've got deepening areas of more potent low pressure systems running around. for thursday, we're almost in between those, so it means a brighter day. it's almost a day of april showers. very mild in south west winds, but big storm clouds possible for some most frequent southwest through to the home counties,

heaviest with hail and thunder through the midlands and northeast england. but some of you avoid that. stay in the sunshine and you'll notice that gathering strength at the sun, potentially the warmest day of the year, 17 celsius possible. but through the night and into friday, another air of low pressure will push by bringing very heavy rain to begin with, as that is tracking across the southern half of england and wales. the strongest, the wind to the south of it mainly affecting france. but it could have impacts on friday across the southern counties of england, wales and more especially the channel islands, winds gusting 65, maybe 70 miles an hour in one or two spots. rain lingering, though quite persistent through the day across parts of south west england and wales. also northern ireland looking for quite a soggy day, but further north and east, showery, lots of cloud around. temperatures down a little bit on thursday, but still above levels. we should be for this stage in the year that if low pressure pushes off into northern parts of europe as we go through into the start of the weekend, it leaves a trailing weather front, which almost becomes fairly stationary across some southern and western areas for saturday.

so it's here we're going to see outbreaks of rain, which should turn lighter and patchier through the day. a lot of cloud around. there will be some brighter breaks again if you see the sunshine. sun's got enough strength to make it feel warm enough. but actually for many, especially down these eastern coast, so the breeze off the sea, it will feel a touch cooler. and we've got at the moment that same weather front almost decays in situ. then as you go into sunday, as pressure starts to build around it, high pressure building around the weather front tends to squeeze out the rain and there's nothing there other than patchy rain or drizzle. but we do have a legacy of a lot of cloud across many areas, particularly scotland, western half of england and wales. either side of that though, there should be some sunshine temperatures around ten to 13 celsius as you go through sunday into monday. high pressure should build in a bit more widely. it could be actually a chilly start to monday, a chance of a bit of frost around, a lot of sunshine to begin with. but these weather fronts are set to push their way in northern ireland to scotland after a bright start turning progressively cloudy. some outbreaks of rain, many other parts of eastern scotland, a good part of england and wales

will stay dry during daylight hours. best the sunshine continuing to the south and the east, but temperatures starting to lift a bit again across western areas as we develop more of a south—westerly wind. now, there will be something dry hopefully next week. let me just show you the jet stream once again. notice how it starts to buckle towards the north. and it's this buckling which helps promote the development of an area of high pressure. we will still see some outbreaks of rain to begin with, to start the week, low pressure gradually pulls away, but then this area of high pressure builds its way in. now the position of that's going to be crucial to how much cloud there is, the potential for some showers in it. but overall, and it's the run up to easter, we could potentially be turning a little bit dry. i'm not going to promise any warmth at this stage. the temperatures look fairly close to average, but hopefully longer breaks between the downpours.

hello, i'm kasia madera. you're watching the context on bbc news. the uk government unveils plans to house migrants at two former miltary bases to save money on hotels. the proposals come as ministers try to deter tens of thousands of people crossing the channel in small boats. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has reacted angrily to calls from the us president to walk away from his controversial judicial reform plans. and the king in germany on his first state visit since becoming monarch. tonight with the context, the deputy political editor of the guardian, jessica elgot— and bryan lanza,

who was the communications director for donald trump's transition team.