OFW saves disabled Arab trapped in Jeddah flood

A Filipino worker became an instant celebrity in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when he rescued a polio victim who was trapped inside his car that was submerged in floodwater last Tuesday.

Saripada Dawood Balindong, who is from Pagadian City, ignored calls from other people in the area to stay where he was and instead used his swimming skills to rescue the man, an Arab.

"Sabi ko marunong naman ako lumangoy [so] nilangoy ko na lang lalo pa't nakita ko na umuurong na palalim ['yung sasakyan]," he told GMA News in an interview.

"Nakita ko sa kanya 'yung tungkod sa sasakyan niya," Balindong added. "Binuhat ko siya tapos napansin ko 'yung kaliwang paa niya na maliit."

Amateur footage of the rescue shows Balindong giving a lifejacket to the disabled Arab. The lifejacket was thrown by a rescuer but it fell far from the man.

According to Balindong, there were firefighters in the area but they were afraid to go to the flood due to the possibility of electrocution. Unlike in the Philippines, electrical cables are placed below the ground in Saudi Arabia.

Balindong said he did not know that someone was filming him when he rescued the man. He said he was shocked to learn that the footage has become viral on Facebook.

"Nalaman ko na [viral sa Facebook] nung gabi na 'yun na nagtawag sa akin ang pinsan ko at tinatanong ako kung ako daw ba 'yung nakita niya [sa video]," he said.

His heroism has made Balindong an instant celebrity, to the point that he was invited to a school and was introduced as a "batal" or hero. —Ronaldo Concha/KBK, GMA News