CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 15-year-old boy hailed as a hero for saving nearly 50 neighbors from raging floodwaters during Typhoon Tino has received a full college scholarship, complete with a monthly allowance, in a gesture of community gratitude.
Jayboy Magdadaro, from Sitio Fatima in Jubay, Liloan, a town north of Cebu City, used a small wooden boat and life preservers to ferry residents to safety as the storm battered the central Philippines last week. His actions, which also involved improvising flotation devices from banana branches, drew widespread acclaim online amid complaints of slow government aid.
The scholarship was announced Wednesday by Atty. Daniel Francis Arguedo, barangay captain of Mabolo in Cebu City. It covers all tuition and fees for any course Magdadaro chooses, plus a 3,000-peso ($52) monthly stipend to support his studies.
“Jayboy’s bravery in the face of disaster deserves more than words — it deserves a future,” Arguedo said in a statement shared on social media. “This is our way of investing in the courage that saved lives.”
Magdadaro’s story first gained traction on Facebook after local resident Kim Burden Gothong posted a plea to locate him and offer thanks. The teen had lost his cellphone in the floods and was borrowing devices to stay connected, complicating efforts to reach him.
Once found, accounts of his rescues proliferated. One survivor from nearby Villa Lara described how Magdadaro and other volunteers pulled her, her pregnant neighbor, her husband and their young child from chest-high waters.
“Someday we will be able to give back,” the woman wrote in a viral post. “Thank you very much for saving our lives.”
Online, the narrative sparked calls for formal recognition, from scholarships to home rebuilding aid for Magdadaro’s family, whose house was damaged in the storm. Netizens praised him with the refrain: “Not all heroes wear capes.”
Community members who aided the search for Magdadaro plan to meet him soon, delivering handwritten notes, groceries, clothing, school supplies and small gifts “to honor his courage without overwhelming him,” one organizer said.
Typhoon Tino, a Category 1 storm, dumped more than 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain on Cebu province over two days, triggering landslides and floods that killed at least 12 people across the region and displaced thousands, according to the Philippine disaster agency. Recovery efforts continue, with volunteers clearing debris from submerged neighborhoods.
Magdadaro’s tale has emerged as a beacon amid the hardship, underscoring the quiet resolve of ordinary residents who step up when crises strike. As one Facebook user put it: “He saved many of his fellow countrymen. He deserves that.”
