An airport janitress here in the Philippines was reported to have found a lost pouch containing money worth Php 1.2Million and instead of pocketing the cash for her own use, she decided to try returning it to the owner. Yup, she only earns 400 pesos a day but she turned the cash filled money bag without taking a single money from it.
Sounds unbelievable eh? In a country where most people are destitute and indigent, there seems to be a lot of Filipinos who are still honest and decent out there. Just a couple of months ago, countless stories of honest taxi cab drivers returning lost or left baggage by their passengers have been reported on TV news.
Mary Jane Doroga, 32 years old, was cleaning the Customs Arrival Area at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 when she found the lost clear plastic pouch containing foreign currency estimated at about Php 1.2 Million. This honest janitress took the pouch to the Customs Officer assigned at the area, an honorable man named Ric Dizon who was the Duty Customs Supervisor to help her find the owner of the cash. After failing to find the owner of the money since the pouch have no identification marks or label as to who owns it, the two morally upright Filipinos took the pouch to the lost and found area of the airport. Where it now awaits its true owner.
So I guess, despite these trying times where most people are materialistic, covetous and greedy; many of my fellow Filipinos are still righteous and principled regardless of their economic difficulties. Yes, often times it's the simple, humble and lowly folks that are more ethical and God-fearing. Let us not forget the Customs Officer named Ric Dizon, I have always lambasted the Bureau of Customs as one of the most corrupt agencies of our Government and I am glad and proud of this particular man; his kind is a vanishing breed. An honorable man surrounded by the most wicked and still being able to keep his ethics is a rare specie indeed.
I love hearing, watching or reading about stories like these. It gives me optimism that there may still be salvation and redemption for us all from our misery. In a country like the Philippines, where graft and corruption is widespread and rampant, stories of such trustworthiness from ordinary persons makes me proud to be a Filipino. Foreigners reading this blog may not feel the same and might think that I am exaggerating to get more readers but that is not the case. If you are a poor Filipino like me who is so tired of the never ending dishonesty and immorality then you will understand.....
If you happen to live in a country that is wealthy and prosperous then you will not feel my delight in knowing such honesty from my fellowmen. If you are rich and well-off then you may not have the same reaction. If you reside in a country where graft and corruption is non-existent or is not as prevalent and customary as in my nation, then you will not experience the same joy that I felt when I learned about this news. If you belong to a country where you don't have to worry where to get the money to buy your next meal, then you can never understand.
But in a country like mine, where the leaders that the ordinary people have elected for the past generations in the hope of alleviating them from poverty, hardship and dearth; have always betrayed their trust and expectations. Simple stories of integrity like this one means a lot to us, it means a lot to me.....
Sounds unbelievable eh? In a country where most people are destitute and indigent, there seems to be a lot of Filipinos who are still honest and decent out there. Just a couple of months ago, countless stories of honest taxi cab drivers returning lost or left baggage by their passengers have been reported on TV news.
Mary Jane Doroga, 32 years old, was cleaning the Customs Arrival Area at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 when she found the lost clear plastic pouch containing foreign currency estimated at about Php 1.2 Million. This honest janitress took the pouch to the Customs Officer assigned at the area, an honorable man named Ric Dizon who was the Duty Customs Supervisor to help her find the owner of the cash. After failing to find the owner of the money since the pouch have no identification marks or label as to who owns it, the two morally upright Filipinos took the pouch to the lost and found area of the airport. Where it now awaits its true owner.
So I guess, despite these trying times where most people are materialistic, covetous and greedy; many of my fellow Filipinos are still righteous and principled regardless of their economic difficulties. Yes, often times it's the simple, humble and lowly folks that are more ethical and God-fearing. Let us not forget the Customs Officer named Ric Dizon, I have always lambasted the Bureau of Customs as one of the most corrupt agencies of our Government and I am glad and proud of this particular man; his kind is a vanishing breed. An honorable man surrounded by the most wicked and still being able to keep his ethics is a rare specie indeed.
I love hearing, watching or reading about stories like these. It gives me optimism that there may still be salvation and redemption for us all from our misery. In a country like the Philippines, where graft and corruption is widespread and rampant, stories of such trustworthiness from ordinary persons makes me proud to be a Filipino. Foreigners reading this blog may not feel the same and might think that I am exaggerating to get more readers but that is not the case. If you are a poor Filipino like me who is so tired of the never ending dishonesty and immorality then you will understand.....
If you happen to live in a country that is wealthy and prosperous then you will not feel my delight in knowing such honesty from my fellowmen. If you are rich and well-off then you may not have the same reaction. If you reside in a country where graft and corruption is non-existent or is not as prevalent and customary as in my nation, then you will not experience the same joy that I felt when I learned about this news. If you belong to a country where you don't have to worry where to get the money to buy your next meal, then you can never understand.
But in a country like mine, where the leaders that the ordinary people have elected for the past generations in the hope of alleviating them from poverty, hardship and dearth; have always betrayed their trust and expectations. Simple stories of integrity like this one means a lot to us, it means a lot to me.....
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