MANILA, Philiippines--A jet skier, Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho ?Ikot? Petilla has braved the swells of the deep sea and even the mean streets of Metro Manila. But his biggest challenge was confronting the floods in Marikina, endangered by electrical wires, garbage and car wrecks at the height of Tropical Storm ?Ondoy.?

Petilla was originally a racer joining slaloms in Cebu. But he got bored when watchers were more interested in the car?s engine size rather than the driver?s skill.

Ten years ago, he took up an extreme sport, jet skiing, albeit offshore, where the conditions are far from glossy. The sport has not only given him an adrenalin rush and proven his tenacity. During emergency, his personal watercraft (PWC) has helped save communities.

A sportsman, Petilla has raced from Cebu to Leyte and Leyte to Boracay. He even tested his limits by riding the rough waters during typhoon signal No. 1.

?It?s not advisable. We were 10 nautical miles going toward the deep sea. The conditions were violent,? he recalls.

He has even challenged himself on land. ?Jet skis are not supposed to run on the streets of Metro Manila but I had the chance. You can?t maneuver because the streets are narrow, making it harder to turn and there?s so much trash.?

In government, Petilla uses his three jet skis more for relief operations in Leyte?s coastal barangays where roads are inaccessible. After a typhoon, it would take a four-wheel drive motor vehicle to reach the barangays in two or three days. With his jet ski, Petilla covers five barangays in eight hours.

?I immediately need to meet the barangay officials and size up the situation so that we can bring relief goods. You don?t want to do a relief operation three days after.?

Speed boats and rubber boats back him up.

Braving floods

Last Sept. 26, Petilla took a morning flight to Manila for a meeting at Club Filipino in Greenhills. Most of his colleagues did not arrive as the heavy rains and floods caused traffic gridlock. He left his mobile phone in Leyte, unaware that friends and relatives in some parts of Quezon City and Marikina were sending text messages, panicking about the flood waters that engulfed their homes. His wife called his aide to relay the news.

Trapped in traffic, Petilla could not go to Manila Yacht Club to get his yacht. He and his aides walked to Cubao, where he was fetched. After picking up his jet ski in his Diliman residence, he reached Marikina at 8 p.m.

?I had my trailer and cars. It took us 90 minutes from Diliman to Marikina. My only regret was that I could not launch earlier. If we did, we could have saved more,? he says.

On his way to Provident Village to help his relatives and friends, he passed by Barangka, the oldest district in Marikina. There were soldiers with two rubber boats for rescue but had no machinery to propel them.

The flood current in front of Loyola Memorial Park was forceful, making it impossible to cross it without being overwhelmed by the water. Petilla had to tie a rope between the poles so people could hang on to it for safety. ?It took us two hours to do it. We kept losing the rope. I could not balance on the jet ski,? says Petilla.

Upon reaching Provident Village, Petilla had difficulty controlling his jet ski, avoiding a pile of six cars at the entrance. He later learned that the six cars were merely the top of the heap of some 50 vehicles submerged in flood. He was able to reach his brother and friends at midnight. However, there were two rescue boats, one private and one military, that could not pass through. The water reached the wires of the electric post, posing danger of electrification.

Petilla skillfully maneuvered his jet ski. However, the rising tide, debris and wires made it impossible to save anybody. Initially, the victims were desperate and fatalistic. Some were building rafts to leave their place. Then the whirring engine of the jet ski and sight of rubber boats gave people hope.

?You can save only so much in short a time. You just have to make it known to them that it was dangerous to swim. Barangka was two kilometers away. All anyone could do was to go on higher ground or transfer to another roof. I told them the current was strong, stay put and we will come back with the rescue team from the army and navy,? he says.

Petilla finally left Provident Village at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. In hindsight, he says although the government may have assets such as rescue boats during crisis, the challenge was braving the obstacles posed by natural or manmade calamities. On his part, he was glad that he was able to use his assets such as PWCs for rescue.

Physically demanding

Asked if there were photographs documenting the rescue, he replies, ?We lost cell phones and cameras. There was no media there. This was a rescue not a media operation.?

With his heart in sports, Petilla still dreams of jet skiing from Manila to Zamboanga. ?Before I get old,? says the 46-year-old governor.

?Jet skiing is physically demanding. It has to be done while you?re still young. When you jet ski in a Mactan resort, you are near shore where there are no waves. When you go off shore, you ride 12-foot waves. Even on five-foot waves, you go up and down. You can?t sit because your buttocks will hurt. You squat. A mask is needed to protect your face. You go up and down the waves thousands of times before you reach your destination. It?s like training in the gym for several hours. It works out the biceps, legs and chest.?

Petilla has been working out in the gym before he took up the water sport and plays badminton to build resistance.

?Jet skiing may look easy,? he says. ?But when you ride off shore, you need to be very fit.?