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He gave his life for my baby... I will never forget his sacrifice. | |
—Menchie Penalosa (baby's mother) to Muelgar Magallanes— |
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Everytime he saw me quiet, he would say, Time will come when we would have a more comfortable life. | |
—Maria Luz Magallanes to her son— |
Muelmar "Toto" Magallanes was an 18-year old Filipino teenager who resided at Baranguay Bagong Silangan and worked in construction. He is recognized for sacrificing his life (on September 26th, 2009) during the tropical storm Ondoy. He braved rampaging floods in a Manila riverside village to save more than thirty people (including mothers and children) from drowning by the mighty torrent during the worst deluge in the history of the Philippines.
Many of the individuals he had saved attended to his funeral.
The Time Magazine names him in the top as one of 10 heroes of 2009.