(From left) Julie Anne San Jose, Rayver Cruz. Image: Instagram/@sparklegmaartistcenter
Rayver Cruz said his girlfriend, actress-singer Julie Anne San Jose, was a “glimmer of hope” after they, along with fellow Kapuso star Boobay, were caught during the Israel lockdown following the attack by Hamas forces that placed the Middle-Eastern country in a state of war.
Speaking about their experiences during their “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” interview last Friday, Oct. 13, the couple admitted that they initially had no idea about the escalating tension between Israel and Palestinian militant group at the time.
“Wala naman kaming iniisip na kahit ano. Pagdating namin d’un, halong work and naka-squeeze kami ng vacation d’un,” Cruz said, while looking back at the time when the bombing started last Oct. 7. “Excited na kami for the show… [pero] mabilis ang mga pangyayari.”
“Hindi alam [ng managers namin] kung paano kami gigisingin in a way na sabihin sa’min na kailangan na naming bumangon kasi may giyera na. Paggising namin, may naririnig na kami and ‘yung siren. Malakas talaga ‘yung siren,” he continued.
(We weren’t thinking about anything. When we arrived there, we were planning to work and have a vacation. We were excited for the show but things happened so fast. Our managers didn’t know how to wake us up to inform us about the war. But when we woke up, we already heard bombs and sirens. The siren was really loud.)
San Jose then revealed that the accommodation where they were staying at had a bomb shelter on the second floor, and they were also told that they had to rush to the bunker within a minute because a bomb would drop in 90 seconds.
“Nanghina ang loob namin noong nakita namin ‘yung [malapit na] music festival kasi [marami nang namatay],” Cruz said, while continuing San Jose’s story. “Tatlong beses kaming pabalik-balik sa bunker, tumutunog na ‘yung siren, napatayo at nag-panic na ako kasi medyo gumalaw ‘yung mga ilaw… sa pangatlong beses na tumunog ‘yung siren, natakot na kami kasi medyo malapit ‘yung pagsabog na narinig.”
(We felt weak when we found out about the many people killed at a nearby music festival. We returned to the bunker three times and while the siren was giving us a signal, I stood up in panic because the lights were already moving. When the siren sounded for the third time, we were already scared because the sound of the bombs was near.)
State of shock
At the moment, San Jose shared that they were in a state of shock because it was their first time dealing with such experience.
“First time po namin sa Israel and then first time naming maka-experience ng gan’un. Ang unang tumawag sa’kin ay ‘yung mommy ko at hindi ko alam paano sabihin sa kanya kasi baka matakot siya or something like that,” she said.
“Nasa Holy Land kami and this is all happening. Na-realize namin na grabe, hindi namin ma-explain ‘yung feeling, and ito ‘yung time na kailangan naming magdasal and really have faith,” she further added.
(It was our first time in Israel and it’s our first time experiencing such a thing. The first one who called me was my mother, and I didn’t know how to inform her because she might get scared. We were in the Holy Land and this is all happening. We realized that it’s a kind of feeling that is hard to explain in words, and it’s the time where we need to pray and have faith.)
The couple also admitted that they still haven’t fully moved on from what they’ve been through, but they chose to surrender their fears in prayer.
“Sa totoo lang, siyempre, hindi pa rin siya nawawala sa sistema namin ‘yung mga nangyari because we were there. Ang hirap tanggalin ‘yun kasi napamahal na kami sa lugar at [‘yung nangyayari] sa mga kababayan natin (To be honest, we still haven’t moved on from it because we were there. It’s hard to remove them from your memory because we fell in love with the place and our countrymen were affected),” San Jose said.
Cruz also narrated that when they arrived at the airport on Oct. 7, they felt a moment of relief as they left during a ceasefire. But as soon as they arrived in Dubai, he was informed by a friend that flights were starting to get canceled, and that it was hard to leave Israel already.
“Noong time na nag-check in kami sa airport, ang tahimik. Ceasefire n’un. Pagdating namin sa Dubai, may nag-message sa’min na friend ko na buti nakaalis na kami at napaaga booking namin. Kasi nagkaroon daw ng gulo sa airport kung saan nasugatan ‘yung taas ng labi niya, pero nakauwi na rin siya ng Pilipinas,” Cruz said.
(When we checked in the airport, it was quiet. It was a ceasefire. When we finally arrived in Dubai, I was informed by a friend that we were able to leave early because something happened in the airport where my friend sustained a wound on top of their lips. But they were able to get home to the Philippines.)
When asked if Cruz ever thought of proposing to San Jose at that moment, he didn’t directly answer the question, but noted that he feels married to her through “mind, body, and soul” as their experience in Israel “happened for a reason.”
“Para sa’kin, everything happens for a reason. Siya lang nakakalam sa itaas. Pero ‘yung glimmer of hope at lakas ng loob ko, nanggagaling kay Julie. Iniisip ko, may rason kung bakit si Julie, magkasama kami sa Holy Land. And for me, mind, body, and soul, kasal na ako sa kanya,” he said.
(For me, everything happens for a reason. Only God above knows. But the glimmer of hope and my will to keep going came from Julie. I was thinking that there was a reason why I was in the Holy Land with Julie. And for my mind, body, soul, I’m already married to her.)
Cruz, San Jose, and Boobay were supposed to hold a “Luv Trip Na, Laff Trip Pa” concert at the Tel Aviv University in Israel on Oct. 7, but were forced to stay behind in their shelters. The Kapuso stars had since arrived safely in the Philippines last Oct. 9.
The war in Gaza Strip, which started with thousands of missiles from Hamas militants rained down on Israel last Oct. 7, had since recorded over 3,200 deaths, as of this writing.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), three Filipinos were confirmed to be dead, while the number of missing Filipinos rose to six. EDV