April 16, 2024, Pasay City - MIAA General Manager Eric Ines expressed appreciation for the honesty of Victor Perez after he returned 10,000 USD that he found on the floor at the east bridge of NAIA Terminal 1 arrival extension on April 13.
Perez, 52, who works as a porter in NAIA was walking along the mentioned area to retrieve used pushcarts when he noticed something on the pavement. He went to check it and was surprised to find a bundle of US dollar bills bound together by a bank money binder.
He immediately looked for the lost and found office to turnover the huge amount of money that he found believing that the owner is surely looking for it. The joint inventory yielded 100 pieces of one hundred US dollar bills approximately amounting to P565,735.00 at prevailing exchange rate.
Around 2:15PM of the same day, a Korean national who arrived via Asiana flight that morning, came to claim the money which according to him fell out of his pocket while going down the ramp leading to the arrival extension area.
Review of CCTV footage confirmed the identity of the Korean national as the rightful owner of the money.
Victor Perez has dedicated 32 years in NAIA taking on different jobs. For the last 10 years, he has been working as a porter/pushcart retriever under a porterage concessionaire in NAIA.
Another act of honesty was shown by Albert Bautista, a security guard of Lockheed Security and Watchman Agency, who turned over a bag he found at Bay 7 of the arrival area while on patrol last April 14. The bag contained a laptop, smartphone and a gold necklace which was surrendered to the T3 lost and found office and claimed this morning by the owner.
"Hats off to Messrs Victor Perez and Albert Bautista for their honesty. Both should be emulated by everyone in NAIA. Let the culture of honesty thrive in the midst of endless temptations around us," said MIAA GM Eric Ines.
The airport chief has ordered the awarding of commendation to Perez and Bautista in MIAA's May flag raising ceremony.