Honest airport worker lauded

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has recognized a porter at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 after he reunited a passenger with $10,000 that he found on the floor.

Authorities said that the porter — identified as Victor Perez — discovered the money on 13 April 2024 while collecting used pushcarts as part of his duties for D’Frada, a porterage concessionaire.

Reports disclosed that Perez noticed something on the ground during his routine pushcart retrieval and upon closer inspection, he discovered a bundle of US dollar bills secured by a bank money binder.

Believing the owner must be frantically searching for the lost sum, Perez — an employee with 32 years of service at the NAIA — wasted no time and proceeded directly to the MIAA Lost and Found Division to surrender the entire amount.

A joint inventory confirmed the recovered money to be $10,000, equivalent to approximately P565,735 based on current exchange rates.

The rightful owner, a Korean national who had arrived that morning on an Asiana flight, returned to the airport later that same day around 2:15 p.m. to claim his lost money, and CCTV footage reviewed by MIAA authorities verified the Korean passenger as the rightful owner, and the money was promptly returned.

MIAA described Perez as a longtime employee who has held various positions at the airport throughout his career. For the past ten years, he has consistently served as a porter and pushcart retriever under D’Frada’s concession.

Meantime, the MIAA also commended a security guard identified as Albert Bautista employed by Lockheed Security and Watchman Agency, who displayed similar integrity on 14 April.

Bautista discovered a backpack in the public arrival area of Bay 7 and promptly delivered it to the NAIA Terminal 3 Lost and Found Division. The bag’s owner, who retrieved it on Tuesday morning, reported its contents to include a laptop, a smartphone and a gold necklace.

“We extend our sincerest appreciation to Victor Perez and Albert Bautista for their exemplary honesty,” said MIAA general manager Eric Jose Castro Ines. “Their actions serve as an inspiration to everyone at NAIA. Let us cultivate a culture of honesty that transcends the temptations we encounter daily.”

Ines added that both Perez and Bautista will be recognized for their honesty during MIAA’s flag-raising ceremony scheduled for May.

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