Filipino nurse in Ireland hailed as hero after helping stabbing victim --- By DAVE LLAVANES JR and HANNAH DAYGO

A Filipino is now being hailed as a hero in Dublin, Ireland, after assisting a young female student who was among the four victims of an attack by an Algerian suspect in Parnell Square last month. The incident, which took place on November 23, is still vivid in the mind of Filipino nurse Leo Ralph Villamayor — especially since it happened while he was on his way to his graduation. "I thought it was just a rumble, like people fighting on the street," said Villamayor, offering a firsthand account of the incident. When a young girl collapsed in front of him, Villamayor said this prompted him to immediately provide basic life support, introducing himself as a nurse first to erase doubts on his skills. "My first response was to try to help, but they ignored me and pushed me away until I decided to shout, 'I'm a nurse.' They then gave way so I could assess the child," he said. It was not easy, Villamayor said, as at that time the place had already erupted into chaos. "I could not assess the child's pulse properly as there was too much noise and too many people; chaos everywhere," he said. Then the child moved and "I got a feedback from her," he added. It was at this moment that paramedics arrived and initiated the use of a defibrillator on the victim. "I was about to cry but I had to compose myself," Villamayor recounted. According to Villamayor, he only did what was necessary to help the victim. The Embassy of Ireland in the Philippines is set to recognize Villamayor's actions in the stabbing attack. The Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA) has already contacted him and is planning to welcome him upon his arrival in the Philippines. Villamayor is scheduled to return to the Philippines this week to visit his family, with whom he has not spent Christmas for eight years. Villamayor, who declined an offer of financial reward for his deed, said he is planning to go to the United States to work as a nurse. "To be honest, I didn't feel right accepting gratitude from anyone because I was there by luck, and I'm sure anyone would do that (help) as well," he said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News

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