Left: Balindong hands a lifejacket to the trapped man before carrying him from his car. Right: He shows the award he was given at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh. Photo: Embassy of The Philippines in Saudi Arabia
Left: Balindong hands a lifejacket to the trapped man before carrying him from his car. Right: He shows the award he was given at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh. Photo: Embassy of The Philippines in Saudi Arabia

A Filipino driver in Saudi Arabia was honored by the Philippine Embassy for rescuing an elderly Arab man who was trapped in a car during a flood in Abruq Al-Righama, Jeddah.

On November 21, Dawood Balindong, 37, who has been working in Saudi Arabia for over a year, swam to the man’s car and gave him a lifejacket. He then carried the man and brought him to safety, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Bystanders tried stopping Balindong by telling him the Civil Defence will arrive, but they failed. “I could not stand watching a man drowning without doing anything to save him,” Balindong told the Gazette.

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According to media reports, two Civil Defence staff were present at the time but did not take action to rescue the man, who was stuck in water over a meter deep. The Civil Defence issued a public apology and said that disciplinary action would be taken against the officials.

On November 27, Balindong was honored at the Philippine Embassy for his act of heroism and selflessness, The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

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