Capitol applauds 4 workers for honesty
Four provincial government employees were recognized yesterday for returning cash found within the Capitol premises.
They are Jessa Eusora, Josue Villabas, Christopher Castro, and John Kristopher De Paula.
Each of them was given a Certificate of Award by the Cebu provincial government and was acknowledged during yesterday's flag ceremony.
Vice Governor Magpale said that yesterday flag ceremony was a good time and venue for giving recognition to the four so others may also acknowledge and be inspired by the exemplary deeds of their colleagues.
Eusora is an administrative aide in the Office of the Provincial Accountant. On June 15, she found P400 on the lobby of the Executive Building. She turned it over immediately to the guard on duty.
On a separate instance, Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center watchman Villabas found P620 near the flagpole area and also handed the money to the guard on duty.
Meanwhile, Christopher Castro, a member of the Civil Security Unit turned over the P1,540 cash found in the Capitol grounds by Sheryl Patagani and Eleuterio Cabardo, administrative aide in the Vice Governor's Office.
It was reported yesterday that De Paula, a legislative staffer, returned P10,000 cash dispensed from an ATM machine to its rightful owner.
The awards were presented by Provincial Administrator Atty. Mark Tolentino and Human Resources Head Bobby Nacorda.
Moreover, a resolution was passed by the Provincial Board commending De Paula "for his highly commendable and replicable act of honesty."
Noting that three 'honest' employees were from the Office of the Vice Governor, Magpale shared that integrity is one of their core values as public servants.
"Ang amo man gud nga core values include integrity. I am so happy for them and this is not the first time," she shared.
The acting governor added that no monetary reward from the provincial government was given to any of the awardees.
In Lapu-Lapu City, an employee of a mall in Barangay Pusok returned cash worth P59,000 which he found on the mall's escalator on Sunday afternoon.
Erwin Cariaga, 45, a maintenance personnel was conducting his daily checkup on the escalators on the ground floor of the mall when he found a bundle of cash along with a single money exchange receipt lying on the steps of the escalator.
Police Officer 3 Ian Earl Jimota of Lapu-Lapu City Police said Cariaga checked the name written on the receipt, looked it up on Facebook and sent a message.
The two parties agreed to meet at the police station in Pusok yesterday morning where the return of the cash took place.
Joel Mondares, driver of a travel and tour company, said he was tasked by his employer to exchange $1,400 to pesos.
Mondares told police that he only put the bundle of money secured with a single rubber band on the waistband of his shorts and that he was unaware that it fell while he was on the escalator.
“Mapasalamaton kaayo siya (Mondares) kay dili man ‘to iyaha, gisugo ra man siya,” said Jimota.
This is the third time Cariaga returned money he found while he was on duty, said Jimota.