It's no question that Gerald Anderson's actions during the super typhoon Carina disaster in July 2024 have further solidified his reputation as a hero in times of crisis.
During a recent media conference for his upcoming ABS-CBN series, Nobody, reporters were eager to discuss his thoughts about going viral for his rescue efforts.
"I don't know why this has become a big deal. It's just something you naturally do," he remarked, referring to it as more of an instinctive reaction than a deliberate act of heroism.
"The floodwater was starting to rise. I was able to bring all my cars to higher ground, and I was in the process of bringing up my motorcycles, too.
"Someone in an inflatable pool passed by our garage and said, ‘There are people still trapped at the end of that street.’
"That person spoke directly to me, so I couldn’t just say ‘OK, good luck!’ That's how it started. After that, we got on our own inflatable pool and started helping," he recalled.
Read: Gerald Anderson joins Typhoon Carina rescue efforts
Despite the loss of his four motorcycles to the floodwaters, the Kapamilya actor remained focused on the more important goal of rescuing others.
"I can have them repaired eventually," he noted. "What's more important was to bring people to a safer place."
Gerald admitted that the intense and unpredictable nature of the flooding made him uneasy and even scared at times.
"Every time we would return to the end of the street to rescue more people, we would feel the water rising even more," he related.
"There was even a time when we had difficulty getting inside the compound."
Nonetheless, he would not trade the profound sense of fulfillment he experienced for moments of comfort.
"If you know that you're able to bring people to a safer place because of teamwork, then you're able to sleep soundly at night. That feeling is priceless," he expressed.
"No matter how rich you are, or how many motorcycles you own, walang kapalit. That feeling is also what I want the audience to experience in my new show.
"During our pre-production meetings, I described so many situations to our creative team, those that I know really happened because I was there."
Read: Gerald Anderson posts holiday photos with Julia Barretto in California
GERALD CREDITS MOM'S INFLUENCE FOR HIS RESPONSE TO EMERGENCIES
Gerald credits his mother, Evangeline Opsima, for instilling the values that guided his actions growing up.
"I was still very young when I first became aware of the things she does to help relatives and friends," he shared.
He described how, despite their limited resources, his mother consistently went out of her way to assist others.
"Even though we didn't have much money then, my mama would make an effort to help when someone wanted to borrow from her," he said, citing an instance that left a mark on him.
"She would pawn our radio just to be able to give, so I think I got it from her."
He then emphasized the positive impact of kindness and patience, especially in trying times.
"It's important to be kind and patient because we don't know what other people are going through," he urged.
"I'm not saying that people should copy what Mama did, because we were also struggling with our finances back then.
"But, I'm young and physically strong, so I know I can still help others."
His heroic efforts during super typhoon Carina came into full view on July 24, 2024, when a video surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), capturing his involvement in rescue operations.
The footage, taken in one of the severely flooded areas of Barangay Sto. Domingo, Quezon City, quickly gained the attention of netizens as they witnessed Gerald assisting stranded families.
One of these survivors is a weeping boy in a pink raincoat, who appears reluctant to be moved away from his mom.
Gerald consoled him, asking, "Ano pangalan [niya]? Sige lang, sasama nanay mo."
"Okay, come here. Halika, halika, hawak ka sa akin. Okay, let's go. Ako bahala sa yo," he says as he lifts the child onto a space not captured by the camera.
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