Yesterday, September 29, a "photo" circulated showing an AFP truck, which was moving down one of Provident Village's muddy streets.
The photo seemed an ordinary scene, but it was the caption that caught our attention: "Cristine Reyes was inside, headed back to her home to get stuff. The truck refused to stop to aid anybody even if there were still many people desperate for help."
Through PEP contributor Allan Alterra, we were able to give Cristine Reyes the heads up about the "photo" that night, and her strong reaction: "Hindi totoo!"
Early this afternoon, PEP staffwriter Mark Angelo Ching brought it up again during Cristine's thanksgiving party at the Kaboom Grille on Timog Avenue, Quezon City.
She said, in a calmer tone this time: "Hindi maganda yung ginagawa niyang paninira ngayon. Dahil sa nangyayari ngayon, bakit may time pa siya para manira at maglabas ng mga negative na bagay? Hindi nakakatuwa."
We were able to locate a village resident, who was one of the people walking along Melbourne St. at around 9:40 a.m. last Sunday, September 27. He claimed that he saw Cristine inside the AFP truck.
In his email, he narrated: "Along with about a dozen people, we were wading through very thick mud, along Melbourne Street, headed towards the Provident Village's gate, when an army vehicle throttled towards us, and we had to wade through the mud, to stand aside so they could pass.
"Some of the people walking along with us hailed the vehicle, so they could ride, or get help. It was very difficult to get through, and we needed help traveling. The truck driver ignored us, and just drove ahead."
But what made him react was the fact that there were only three people inside the truck. He added, "There was a lot of space inside."
And one more thing that surprised him was that the Kapamilya actress was one of the passengers. "Many of us saw that Cristine Reyes was inside the vehicle. Some people started shouting, and she moved further inside the vehicle," the source said.
Could it have been a case of mistaken identity?
His answer, "I don't want to make judgments regarding Cristine, and I didn't get a clear view of her, personally.
"I don't know how and why she was in the army truck, but many of the people wading in the mud with us were very angry because we really could have used some assistance, and felt that she had hogged an important vehicle which could have helped so many more people."
Back to Cristine, we told her that some people claimed they saw her inside that truck. And she simply said: "Wala po akong sinasakyan na truck. Walang humihingi ng tulong."
When she returned to their village, she boarded "Starex ng ate."
RICHARD'S RESCUE STORY. Another post titled "How to be a Hero: Richard Gutierrez saves Cristine Reyes" proliferated in Facebook last Sunday.
It contained three images, including a print screen of one post which claimed that "Richard refused to help an infant."
But in the interviews of the Patient X lead star, he explained how difficult it was to enter his leading lady's village because of the strong current.
He told Showbiz Central last Sunday, a few hours after rescuing Cristine with the speed boat he had borrowed from friend that "it was really an eye-opening experience."
Richard continued, "Para siyang end of the world. It's hard to describe...It's hard to describe the scene, the feeling, the emotion, dahil maraming taong humihingi ng tulong, maraming taong sumisigaw, humihingi ng pagkain...At napakadilim, may mga kotse na lumulutang, mga aparador, mga appliances lumulutang dahil sa baha.
"Hindi talaga kami basta-basta makakadiretso. Nung una, kapantay namin yung mga kable ng Meralco, so bago kami...bago namin malampasan yun, kailangan namin buhatin lahat ng kable. At may mga kable pa na bakal talaga. And dun kami nahirapan dahil bawat kanto may kable.
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