Chivalry is not dead, at least with Richard Gutierrez who in the wee hours of Sept. 27 braved the havoc of typhoon Ondoy to save her friend and leading lady in “Patient X” Cristine Reyes from potential drowning or being washed away by the raging flood waters in Provident Village, Marikina City.

The aftermath of typhoon Ondoy was phenomenal judging from the number of fatalities and damages amounting to billions of pesos as of press time. And Richard Gutierrez could have been part of that statistics if his rescue mission failed.

“We were just texting. Then in the afternoon she called me and she was crying for help. I was surprised to hear her predicament. I told her to hang on and I’ll call people I know. Then she called again at night and she was already saying her goodbyes. I couldn’t bear it anymore so I told my parents I had to do something about it. I just couldn’t stand there and wait for a rescue team to get to her,” explained Richard.

Through his connections he found Nani Pazcoguin, his friend who is into extreme sports, who was willing to lend his five-seater speed boat. Since Nani hasn’t used his speed boat in six months, it took them almost an hour to get its engine working properly. Armed with a flashlight and a knife they towed the boat towards Marikina. That was, as Richard discovered, was their easiest task, reaching Provident Village.

“Our concern was for the raging flood waters to carry us to the Marikina Riverbank. If that happened then it’s our goodbye,” he recalled. “There was debris floating everywhere. We couldn’t speed up because our propeller could hit a car underneath the waters and chip it. There was even a time that a rope of blankets got caught in our propeller. There was even a floating cabinet that was raging towards our direction!”

The various obstacles they faced in their rescue mission prompted them to dock besides a Meralco post and planned their rescue thoroughly. Dodging the debris, cutting through cables and maneuvering through raging flood waters, it took them hours to get to Cristine’s house. (According to Richard, Cristine’s mom opted to stay on the roof of their house while her nephews were already rescued by her brother on a jet ski.)

“We tied our boat to the walls of Cristine’s house. She was on their roof and she went down through their water tank. She went out through her room’s windows. She had to jump and I caught her,” Richard related.

“It was already five hours since Richard left for Marikina. I was already worried so I convinced Eduardo (Eddie Gutierrez) to drive us to Marikina. I was worried because I couldn’t reach Richard or anybody with him. I even walked through the flood waters but a bystander told me malalim na ang tubig, na lampas-tao na. I was shouting to everybody there if they saw Richard,” said Richard’s mom Annabelle Rama.

Richard explained that the rescue was really a slow process. More than their equipment, they had to use their minds otherwise they could be victims of typhoon Ondoy as well.

“Cristine was surprised to see me. She never thought I’d come for her. All I told her before we went to her was for her to ready her light because that will be our guide. It was very dark and we only had our flashlight,” said Richard who brought Cristine to her sister Ara’s house after their rescue. “I think she’s okay now but still shaken. She lost her two cars.”

Richard attributed his confidence in rescuing Cristine to the past trainings he had in his past GMA Network shows like “Mulawin,” “Sugo,” “Asero” and “Zorro” and the sports he is into. More than the physical aspect, his past trainings made him very focused in his rescue mission.

“I just had to do what I had to do. My parents warned me of the consequences. But I want to do my best in rescuing Cristine. I’m thankful that we were guided well in rescuing her… I also want to salute our country’s rescuers because what they were doing was not an easy task,” remarked Richard.

When asked if her rescue efforts could grow into a romantic relationship between him and Cristine, Richard just smiled.

“This is the way I see it. Everything happens for a reason. From the time we started working together in ‘Patient X’ I’ve gotten to know her well. It was like I was set up to help her out during this calamity. She’s a very happy person and when I heard her crying I couldn’t take it. I simply had to do something,” he shared.

On her part, Cristine said she doesn’t want to live in Provident Village anymore. “A lot of miracles happened that night. My faith in God has grown stronger because of my experience… in life you have to appreciate everything you have whether big or small.”

Aside from Cristine Reyes, the chivalry and heroism of Richard Gutierrez extended to the other victims of typhoon Ondoy as the products he endorses like Emperador and Globe had given donations totaling more than two million pesos, including his own personal donation. Gov. Chavit Singson also shelled out P500,000. At the moment Richard and his family are finding out more ways to help Cristine and raise funds for the victims of typhoon Ondoy.

As to whether he was scared by his rescue mission, Richard said no.

“I had faith that God was with me all the way!”

As to detractors saying Richard Gutierrez’s rescuing Cristine was part of “Patient X’s” promo or sending negative text messages about his heroism, they should pause and ask themselves if they’ve saved lives lately. There are still people needing help and we surely don’t need anyone pulling down other people!