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Richard Gutierrez rescues Cristine Reyes

“Patient X” star Richard Gutierrez has rescued his leading lady Cristine Reyes from the floods using a speedboat he borrowed from his friend.

Cristine and members of her family who were staying with her in Provident Village, Marikina City, were stranded on the roof for 12 hours beginning Sept. 26 around 1 p.m.

Richard gave an account of how he traversed the murky waters in Provident Village in order to reach Cristine.

“Bawat kanto may kable. There was a point na babangga kami ng bahay dahil sa lakas ng alon. Hindi na ma-control ‘yung speedboat. Kinailangan kong tumalon sa tubig para tadyakan yung pader ng bahay para hindi kami mabangga. Hinarang ko yung sarili ko dahil baka kapag bumangga kami (ay) magtuluy-tuloy kami sa loob ng bahay at hindi na kami makalabas,” he said in an exclusive interview aired on “Showbiz Central,” Sept. 27.

Because it was so dark, Richard relied on Cristine’s multi-colored light source to locate her. Once there, the actor had the boat tied to a tree and he himself went to get the actress.

“Dumaan ako sa bubong ng second floor nila. Si Cristine naman, dumaan siya dun sa kuwarto niya. Binuksan niya ‘yung bintana at tinanggal ‘yung mga salamin. Sinalo ko siya galing sa bintana doon sa bubong, then sabay kaming bumaba sa speedboat.”



Prior to Cristine’s rescue, her family had already been brought to safety using a jet ski owned by a friend of Ara Mina’s boyfriend.


Richard said that some may call his act as one either borne of recklessness or heroism, but for him it was “just a matter of helping (someone) out.”

According to the National Disaster Coordinating Council, tropical storm “Ondoy” (international name, “Ketsana”) triggered the worst flooding seen in 40 years.

Reports say that at least 75 people from all over Luzon were killed by the rising floodwaters and its effects.