Ours is not a hopeless country yet

On Aug. 6, 2019, my husband and I were having coffee at McDonald’s on the fourth floor of Naia Terminal 3 waiting for our son to finish checking in for his flight to Europe. We had been seated there for more than an hour when an airport policeman approached us and asked my husband if he parked our car at the slot for handicapped people. My husband replied in the affirmative and explained that it was the only vacant space available and he could move the car if necessary. The policeman then asked if he dropped or lost something. My husband showed his wallet but told the policeman that he was contacting his secretary to check if his other wallet was at the office since he changed clothes before leaving for the airport.

It turned out the policeman had found a wallet, but could not page the owner since there was no identification card inside. He asked my husband for the amount of money inside and he immediately replied that it contained P22,000 in P500 denominations. Without any hesitation, the policeman handed him back the wallet, because his reply was correct.

The CCTV installed at the parking area aided the two airport policemen, namely Crispino Garcia III and Peter James Pangga, to look for the owner of the wallet that they found beside the car.

Imagine, a crowded international airport teeming with thousands of departing and arriving passengers, well-wishers and greeters, where it was difficult to look for a person you had never met. Pangga discovered the incident through the CCTV, while Garcia painstakingly went around to locate the rightful owner of the wallet.

Ours is not yet a hopeless country, although sad to say, many are still tempted to commit wrongdoings in challenging situations. This act of impeccable honesty and dedication by the two policemen in discharging their job is not only commendable but truly praiseworthy.

DR. REMA TAN MANZANO,
Las Piñas City