Gerald Anderson is a man of many hats—he's an actor, a businessman, and today, he was someone's rescuer.
The 35-year-old actor was seen swimming in the floods of Quezon City during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina in the Philippines. In a video uploaded on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Gerald was submerged in the floods and was talking to a family who had been trying to keep their baby safe.
He was convincing the child, along with the child's family, to come with him so they could go to a safer place. The video was less than a minute long but it was enough to see how genuine and focused Gerald was at rescuing people in the middle of massive floods.
The Internet, of course, did not miss the chance to praise Gerald. People applauded his gesture. "Good job Gerald. Ever since talaga tumutulong 'yan," one online user said.
As of writing, Typhoon Carina has intensified into a Super Typhoon. It has placed Metro Manila in a state of calamity as various cities were wiped out due to intense rain and flooding. According to reports, the State Weather Bureau forecasted that the Super Typhoon will be out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Thursday.
Gerald Anderson helping out during typhoons
True enough, it's really not Gerald's first time helping out during disasters. In 2009, when the country was hit by the destructive Typhoon Ondoy, the actor braved the floods to rescue his neighbors in Vista Real Classica in Quezon City.
In an exclusive interview with Cosmo in 2009, Gerald's neighbor Dr. Divine Rosales-Murao narrated how Gerald put his life on the line to reach out to their neighbors. "Gerald tried to check on us since he knows and he saw I have three small kids with me, plus the house staff. The whole ground floor of our house was affected by the water. We told him we are still okay, and the second time he went back to us there, he was with Cesar Montano and Bayani Agbayani, plus others. We were asking Gerald if they can check on Queensland Street because my brother is there and we cannot go through that street anymore," Dr. Divine tells Cosmo.ph in this exclusive.
She added, "Gerald and his brother did their best to check how they can pass through the raging waters—using ropes and all—to see other neighbors who need help."
Philstar.com reported in 2009 that Typhoon Ondoy affected nearly 1.9 million Filipinos in Metro Manila alone.
Gerald Anderson is a part of the Philippine Coast Guard
ICYDK, Gerald joined the Philippine Coast Guard's K9 Special Support Squadron in 2016. The Squadron is an extended entity of the agency focused on humanitarian missions and disaster response operations.
In September 2021, Gerald was promoted to Auxiliary Commander of the said Squadron. Aside from that, his girlfriend, Julia Barretto, also became a part of the group at the same time.
Aside from physically helping out during rescue operations, Gerald also extended his help to typhoon victims through donations. In December 2021, Gerald gave out sacks of rice and boxes of purified drinking water to affected families by Super Typhoon Odette. It was a natural disaster that resulted in 407 deaths.
