Actor and host Matteo Guidicelli took to social media to share the situation of families and communities hit by Typhoon Tino in Cebu.
On Facebook, Matteo, who was born and raised in Cebu, posted a video of his visit to heavily affected areas in Liloan, describing the devastation as something that “looks like a movie set” but is tragically real.
“Look at where we are standing, some of the few devastating scenes you're getting to see here. There are houses and these cars that really toppled over. It’s crazy. It looks like a scene from Universal Studios,” he said in the video.
He showed how floodwaters rushed into residential areas at the height of the typhoon, leaving homes filled with mud.
“The water really rushed. If you can see in the house talagang it’s all mud na and the back end of the house is leading to the highway so talagang the water from that end — from the creek, riverside, gushed all the way here and pushed everything and destroyed everything all the way here. That’s the situation here,” he continued.
In another post, Matteo shared that he and his team traveled by scooter to reach affected communities in Mandaue, Cebu City, Liloan, and Compostela.
“My team and I decided to get on scooters to move, FAST. Seeing the situation in Mandaue, Cebu City, Liloan, and Compostela was devastating. It looked like everything was from a movie set, but no! This is reality. People are suffering, they lost lives, and literally lost almost everything,” he wrote. “Before the day ended we even discovered a dead female body.”
Seeing the devastating state of the people and the cities, he offered prayers for the victims and vowed to continue checking the affected areas.
“Prayers to all the Cebuano and everyone else that has been suffering. We’ll continue our rounds tomorrow to see more of the damages firsthand,” he said.
Matteo was one of the celebrities who voiced frustration and called for accountability after the typhoon and massive flooding earlier this month. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead.
In a previous post, he emphasized the scale of the tragedy, saying: “More than 100 lives were lost because of this typhoon. Brgy. Cot Cot is just one of the many communities shattered.”
He also stressed that clean water remains the most urgent need: "Right now, their most urgent need is WATER. That’s what they are pleading for. We need more attention. We need faster action. Government has to mobilize quicker in times like this. Please, let’s help our people in any way we can — by donating, volunteering, or simply amplifying their voices.”
READ: Matteo Guidicelli urges aid for clean water, accountability amid typhoon devastation in Cebu
He ended with a call for accountability, questioning whether lessons will finally be learned after another devastating typhoon hit the country.
"But what’s next? We have an average of 20 typhoons a year. Are we finally going to build better, stronger infrastructure so our people are safer when the next typhoon hits? Or will greed and corruption continue and see our people suffer and die, with blood literally on their hands? Just a question to ask, and to think deeply about," he remarked.