Gerald Anderson
In the showbiz world, Gerald Anderson is a heartthrob, a hunky cover boy, and an actor with promising talent to boot. But to his neighbors he is just Gerald, the concerned boy who braved deep floodwaters caused by typhoon Ondoy to check if his neighbors were okay.
Now, if you happen to be a neighbor of Gerald Anderson looking out the window, you may think that the young man was acting out a rescue scene for a telenovela, ready to plunge down in the muddy waters and pull out the leading lady from the depths. But this is reality. There are no lights and cameras and leading ladies, only action and reaction in an unavoidable situation in which lives were at stake. Gerald had to calculate decisions and do what was right.
QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD TURNED DISASTER AREA. Dr. Divina Gracia Rosales-Murao is a neighbor of Gerald in Vista Real Classica, Quezon City. That Saturday morning, the rain that started as a drizzle escalated in a steady downpour that eventually turned the village street into a wide pool. For Dr. Divina, it was something worth worrying about and it was a concern shared by Gerald as well.
She tells PEP thru email, “Even before the water level started to go up, Gerald and his brother Kenneth were already visible, perhaps trying to assess what’s going to happen next. He was still carrying his dog that time.â€
She watched the entire scene from her veranda. As one hour passed, the water was already rising at an alarming rate. At about 2 p.m., the water had become level with her house’s ground floor—a scary revelation considering that their street is on higher ground. For Dr. Divina, it was safer to stay put in the veranda. For Gerald and a few male companions, however, theirs was a responsibility they took upon themselves to check on people.
“Gerald and company tied ropes over trees para maging guide nila since the house in front of us is getting more damaged,†describes the doctor. “They really tried to cross the raging waters but it was a little difficult na…they were nowhere in sight na rin since I also have to check on our place.â€
Undeterred by the increasing current, Gerald looked for help. Before dark, he arrived with Cesar Montano and Bayani Agbayani, who live a few blocks away. By this time, the water level was going up but the group managed to scramble up Dr. Divina’s wall to ask if they needed assistance in evacuating.
“Actually we are still okay pa,†said Dr. Divina. “They were asking if we plan to evacuate since they saw we have kids inside the house. Actually mas concern ko was my brother who lives a Queensland Street just a few houses away from director Jun Flores and Jean Garcia.â€
As it turned out, that part of the village was more damaged and the current, stronger. Gerald himself told Dr. Divina that they had a hard time getting through. And then they again left for help and returned in an hour, this time with a rescue team who would eventually check on the other homes in need of rescue and food.
THANKFUL FOR HIS INITIATIVE. For the doctor, the celebrity glitz in Gerald that fans see in everyday life was unrecognizable. In its place was a wet, cold and dirty person who chose to disregard personal safety for the assuring knowledge that his neighbors were out of harm’s way.
“I give compliments to Gerald…that he gave his own self, his time, his concerns to check on his neighbors,†Dr. Divine added, “including me and my family. He tried to be the ordinary person he is…just like us—just like everyone else with the humanitarian heart.â€
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