Kapamilya star Jericho Rosales and wife Kim Jones were among the first people to help in the rescue operations of stranded residents in the badly hit Brgy. Tumana, Marikina.
Using their surfboards, the couple went out of their way to help residents inside their village who were trapped inside their homes as typhoon Ulysses ravaged the entire city and caused severe flooding in the capital region and some parts of Luzon.
“This morning paglabas namin, baha na. Usually kapag baha dito kasi, ganyan talaga. Laging gan'yan ang problema. Sometimes walang boats or flotation devices so naglabas kami ni Kim ng surfboard,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
“Okay naman ['yung mga narescue], safe naman sila, thank God. May mga iba lang na hindi na mapuntahan nu'ng rescue teams kasi malakas na 'yung agos and wala pang boats,” he added.
Eleven years ago, when typhoon Ondoy battered the country, the actor did the same thing. And when asked to compare Ulysses to Ondoy, the 41-year-old actor said that he didn’t have any data to compare the two super typhoons but thinks “malala ito para sa akin.”
“Maraming taong hindi nakaalis. Based on nangyari na before tapos caught by surprise na naman tayo na ganito, I think in that sense medyo mas malala ito,” he explained.
According to Marikina’s public information Facebook page, Marikina River has risen 22 meters as of 11:00 a.m. today. It reached 21.5-meter level during Ondoy, said Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.
For future disasters, Jericho appealed to the public to stay calm but be ready for any eventualities.
“Stay calm and it’s too late now to complain or anything so mas maganda, kung tayo mismo in the future we can prepare. It’s always preparation para sa akin. Preparation ng mga nasa bahay and ng mga rescuers. Of course, support the rescuers. I hope they get enough funds for rescue. We get better warnings sana for the people para hindi na mangyari,” he said.
Meanwhile, Angel Locsin, known for relief efforts during natural calamities and disasters, took to Instagram to share emergency numbers of agencies people can contact to ask for help.
“My heart bleeds for those heavily affected by these typhoons, Rally and Ulysses. Praying that you, your loved ones, and colleagues are safe,” Angel told her 8.2 million followers on the popular social media platform.
“Our resilience will always be greater than any calamity. Alagaan natin ang isa’t isa. Keep safe mega kababayan ko,” her post carried on.