A young man saved a dog from drowning in a river in Biñan, Laguna—a heroic act that was caught on camera and became viral on social media.
The video was initially posted by Facebook user Margole Ilagan at a public Facebook group.
Ilagan shared in his post that he initially heard the dog cry early in the morning of July 24. Later, he was surprised to see a boy who risked his own life to pick up and carry the dog to safety.
Animal Kingdom Foundation, a non-profit animal welfare group, praised the young man for his courage. It later discovered his name—Angelo, a 16-year-old worker at the Biñan Public Market.
“A very humble boy who has a pure heart and a brave soul,” AKF said in its post.
“It’s such a heartwarming story especially during these times of crisis and calamities. May we all continue to look after the hapless animals,” it said.
AKF had posted the video on its page and sought the help of its followers to identify and reach the boy.
“Ever since we posted about this story, news outlets started to send us inquiries about this brave young man who saved the dog,” it said.
“We already sent messages to the uploader but have not received a reply to date. Tulungan nyo po kaming hanapin si sir. Marami pong gusto siyang makilala at i-feature ang kanyang kwento,” it added.
Days later, the group was able to find Angelo.
“The brave young man who rescued the dog from the river! Posts about him went viral for days now, but we got no leads about his identity. This afternoon, we asked for help to locate him and immediately found his identity just this afternoon!”
“Again, to Angelo, thank you for your compassion. Maraming, maraming salamat.”
The organization also thanked Ilagan and the city government of Biñan, Laguna for recording and sharing the video.
The group said it will be sending Angelo gifts as reward for the selfless act. It also attached its official donation channels to those who wished to send the teenager tokens as well. “We’ll be sending gifts to Angelo, sa gusto pong magpasabay, please PM us,” it said.
Animal lovers in the comments section of the post likewise poured out their thanks. Others also hoped that the dog who was saved was safe and sound.
