Suits’ star visits ‘Yolanda’ victims in Ormoc

Suits’ lead star Gabriel Macht. Contributed photo

ORMOC CITY, Leyte – He is a brilliant, cold-hearted lawyer in the hit TV series “Suits.” But American actor Gabriel Macht warmed the hearts of the victims of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in this city during his two-hour visit on Saturday.

Some did not even know who Macht was.

He told reporters here he hoped that although his visit was brief, it would be enough to call attention and help the people who were still reeling from the devastation caused by Yolanda.

“I want to show my support and love to the Filipinos through my visit. With this short visit, I hope to be able to spread the word across the globe that we all need to join hands, pool our resources and extend any form of assistance to the Filipinos who need our help,” he said. “The Filipino people are a beautiful people. I just hope that my presence… will help rebuild the victims their lives.”

Macht said the typhoon victims were resilient and he was confident they would bounce back from the massive devastation.

Macht, who is known for his role as lawyer Harvey Specter in the hit US TV series Suits, arrived at the Ormoc airport past 3 p.m. in a private helicopter.

He was met by Leyte Representative Lucy Torres Gomez and officials of the Globe Telecom headed by its vice president for prepaid business Issa Cabreira.

From the airport, the 42-year-old actor went to San Antonio, a farming village located about seven kilometers away from the city proper.

He met Virginia Polenio, 52, a mom-and-pop store owner who was given assistance by Globe under its Bangon Pinoy program.

Polenio, a mother of four children, and 99 others people each received  a cellular phone that contained P1,000 worth of load.

The beneficaries, who are also receipeints of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), were selected with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Macht installed a sign on Polenio’s store and played with the children.

From San Antonio, the actor proceeded to the hacienda of Torres-Gomez in Barangay Sumangga, about 6.5 km from the town proper.

Under a tent, Macht was treated to a variety of Filipino food and got to taste a local alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane, which he said he liked very much.

The family of Torres-Gomez owns a 100-hectare sugarcane plantation in Barangay (village) Sumangga.

But his presence in the sugarcane field did not stir a lot of interest among the women and children who happened to be in the area.

Gina Perone, 38, said she had no idea who the foreigner was.

“He is an actor? I thought you were here to interview Lucy,” she said, referring to the congresswoman who invited the actor to their hacienda.

“But he is tall and handsome,” Perone added.

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