Wendell Ramos reveals why he became a volunteer firefighter

Wendell Ramos is happy to cross out another item on his bucket list by becoming a volunteer firefighter.

But why would the actor, husband and father choose to take on such a job after all these years? And in the midst of a pandemic, no less?

In an exclusive interview on "Unang Hirit," Wendell said he wanted to serve others and, in the process, encourage others to do the same.

"Alam niyo, to be honest, hindi ko po talaga ginawa 'to para, alam niyo 'yun, 'yung mapagusapan lang po," Wendell told UH hosts Lyn Ching and Suzi Entrata.

"Kailangan lang talaga sa panahon ngayon… mas maraming boluntaryong [mag-participate], 'yun lang ang kailangan. Minsan yung mga training kahit paunti-unti, as much as possible mas dumami ang boluntaryo," he added.

Wendell also revealed that firefighting was actually a dream job for him as a kid.

"Sa tingin ko po, heto pong nagawa kong 'to, talagang tamang-tama lang po, at hilig ko rin ho kasi simula nung bata ako," the actor said.

Wendell Ramos announced that he completed his training as a certified ABP (Ang Bumbero ng Pilipinas) last month.

On his first call on-duty, the actor responded to an incident at a factory in Valenzuela City. No one was hurt, but the fire lasted for seven hours and damaged P15 million worth of property.

Wendell admitted that the job and the training was "more difficult" than he expected. The process, however, helped open his eyes to the hard and valuable work of the country's firefighters.

"Sa training pa lang, mahirap na talaga," Wendell said.

"'Yung akala natin na mahirap lang magpatay ng apoy, pero mas mahirap talaga din dito 'yung pag-te-training, yung akala ko rin dati, humawak lang ako ng hose, humawak lang ako ng, alam mo 'yun? ' Yung mga equipment," he added.

"Mahirap, para ka ring talagang, as in, rescue rin talaga siya. And, up to now, continuous learning pa rin siya, hindi pa rin po tapos 'yung training."

Wendell left a special reminder for others who would be up for the job.

"Sa lahat ng mga netizens at mga nanonood at sumusuporta ho sa akin: 'Wag ho kayong matakot mag-bumbero, dahil hindi naman ho kayo para pabayaan ng Diyos at para pabayaan ng kapwa nating mga manggagawa."

Wendell would also recommend it to those who have a lot of time on their hands during pandemic. "Magandang magdagdag tayo sa bucket list ng mga gusto nating gawin, diba?" he said.

"Kumbaga, kung merong mga nagti-Tiktok, may nagluluto, dahil sa panahon ngayong quarantine and meron mga nagiging enthusiast sa pagte-training, heto pwedeng makadagdag sa kanila sa bucket list nila," he added. — Margaret Claire Layug/BM, GMA News