A trailer driver positioned his vehicle against rushing floodwater to shield motorists from the strong current along a road in San Mateo, Rizal.
In an interview with the Inquirer on Tuesday, Rodolfo Abonales Jr., 30, said he positioned his truck against the rushing water after seeing motorcycle riders struggle to get through.
‘Kawawa kasi ang mga motor. Nakita kong nahihirapan na eh, baka matangay, matumba at anurin ng tubig at ‘yun ang maging cause ng aksidente nila,’ he said.
(I felt sorry for the motorcycle riders. I saw that they were already struggling, and I was worried they might be swept away, fall or be carried off by the water, causing an accident.)
Abonales said he noticed the current flowing down from a nearby mountain. He thought that his truck was large enough to withstand the force of the rushing water.
‘Bigla ko na lang naisip na harangan ‘yung rumaragasang tubig para lahat ng impact ay mabawasan at hindi mahirapan ang mga naka-motor na dumaan,’ he added.
Driver uses trailer to block floodwater, shields motorists in Rizal
Trailer driver Rodolfo Abanoles Jr. in one of his trips. Photo from Rodolfo Abanoles Jr.
The trailer driver, who has been in the job for seven years, was hauling cement from a plant in Bulacan to Calawis, Antipolo, Rizal, when he encountered the flooded road at around noon on Monday, Aug. 17.
The incident was captured on video and posted online by Michael Cagara.
In an interview with the Inquirer on Tuesday, Cagara said he has a house on a mountain, which allowed him to capture the scene.
According to Cagara, he did not expect the video to gain online attention, but he wanted to document the situation so the flooding problem in the area would be noticed.
He also said the area experiences heavy flooding during strong rains and that a nearby canal was clogged.
The southwest monsoon, or habagat, has been bringing rains to parts of Luzon and Visayas for the past three weeks, triggering flooding in several areas, including parts of Metro Manila and Rizal.