Not all heroes wear capes! In San Pedro, Laguna in the Philippines, he is a Sampaguita vendor and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Jericho Hale described how his friend Sampaguita vendor Jayvee Reyes risked his life and limb by jumping in a murky drainage canal to save the life of a drowning boy.
For his bravery, Reyes was showered with love by his neighbors in Barangay San Antonio. He was rewarded with a new cellphone, a scholarship, and business capital from a technology firm that develops applications on the blockchain platform.
“I’m so proud of you ‘bakla’,” (gay, a term of endearment among the LGBTQ+ community) Hale said in his post about Reyes. “My heart is overflowing with joy that you saved the life of a boy you didn’t even know. His family will be forever thankful for what you did, and you did not only save his life but his future as well.”
Immediately after hearing of Reyes’ bravery, Eugenio Ynion Jr., the barangay captain (village chief) of Barangay San Antonio and chief executive officer of Yngen Holdings, developer of the blockchain-based end-to-end shipping and logistics solutions XLOG, pledged to provide a slew of rewards for him.
A humble Reyes, who uses the name “Tintin Reyes” on Facebook, said he was happy for what he did despite losing his cellphone in the process.
“The water damaged my cellphone after I plunged in the canal. But, I have no regrets as I was able to save another person’s life. I am happy to help,” Reyes added.
Hale narrated that he and Reyes were walking along the highway in San Pedro around 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 11 when they saw a group of young boys enjoying a swim on the drainage canal.
However, they noticed that one of the boys appeared to be drowning, but his playmates were oblivious of this fact and were laughing, thinking that their playmate was just playing around.
Reyes quickly took a shortcut and jumped on the water despite its depth to save the boy from drowning without thinking of his own life.
“You are one good person and saved the life of another without thinking of your own. Your only thought at that time was to help the drowning boy, and for that, I am so proud of you,” Hale added.
“You lost your phone and other things, and you did not fear risking yourself. I hope you continue with your good intentions. The LGBTQ+ community is proud of you too, and please continue helping others.”
Ynion said he was overwhelmed by Reyes’s bravery and his act of selflessness at a time when “materialism and selfish desires fill the world. Reyes’ act brings back faith in humanity when people are willing to risk everything to help others,” Ynion added.
“He did not hesitate to jump into the murky water despite the dangerous underwater current,” Ynion said. “He pulled out the boy’s unconscious body and successfully administered CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Dazed and bruised, Jayvee realized that his only prized possession, which was his mobile phone, was still inside his pocket, wet and no longer working.”
For his act of heroism, the village chief said Barangay San Antonio would “replace Jayvee’s mobile phone and will grant him a full scholarship. Yngen Group will give him a monetary reward that would be enough to start his own small business.”
Ynion recently announced that XLOG is spearheading the blockchain revolution in the shipping and logistics industries as it finalizes details to tokenize the trade assets on the blockchain platform.