NOT A FEW GOOD MEN
Everyday road heroes prove honesty still alive
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:26:00 09/06/2008
Filed Under: People, Local authorities
MANILA, Philippines—A funny thing happened to cab driver Venecio Atillo on his way to an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer in Makati City one rainy Friday afternoon.
He was on a bus seated beside an elderly couple. The woman was telling her companion: “You know, there are no good men anymore.” The man replied: “That’s true.”
Then the man, eyeing Atillo’s cap, emblazoned with the words “Bayani ng Kalsada (Hero of the Road),” suddenly blurted out, eyes twinkling: “I did hear though that those Bayani ng Kalsada are pretty good fellows.”
Atillo could only smile.
Soon they were talking animatedly about what being a highway hero meant to Atillo, one of the four winners of last year’s “Bayani ng Kalsada,” Goodyear’s search for drivers who have shown heroism and exemplary character on the road.
It seemed the lesson to Atillo’s fellow passengers was this: There are actually a few good men left out there.
Atillo, a resident of Marikina City, has been driving a taxi for almost 30 years. In that span of time, he has returned countless wallets, cell phones, briefcases, and other such valuables inadvertently left by his passengers in the cab.
Once, a passenger, a student at a Manila university, even left a pair of brand new shoes that got the unwanted attention of some of his family members.
Returning lost items has become almost a habit for the 55-year-old father of five.
“I never feel tempted. Some of my relatives sometimes tease me to keep them but I never do. I believe in karma,” Atillo told the Inquirer.
He recalled how his son-in-law was so taken with a digital camera he brought home one night (having discovered too late that a passenger had left it in the back seat) that he offered to buy it for half the original price.
Atillo said no. He later found the owner through the help of a radio station.
His grateful passengers often reward him with cash or sometimes, even lunch. Atillo said he never expects to get anything in return, but is happy to receive whatever they can give him.
He once returned a deed of sale to a property in Antipolo City worth P7 million by tracking down the owner through a pawnshop receipt.
“The woman was so happy. She said she’d been crying for three days when she realized she lost the deed of sale,” Atillo said. “She didn’t give me anything but she took me out to lunch at Jollibee.”
Atillo said it doesn’t matter how much the item costs.
“I’ve returned a hat, a notebook, cell phones, digital camera, wallets, anything, as long as I can find the owner,” he pointed out.
As a jeepney driver, Ronnie Balbido, 41, doesn’t find many occasions as Atillo does to return things left in his vehicle.
“When something is left behind in the jeepney, especially in the back, the other passengers get to it first. Sometimes it’s even the driver who gets blamed for the loss,” he said ruefully.
But Balbido, another Bayani ng Kalsada winner, has shown a different type of heroism on the highway.
When not on duty, he transports sick neighbors to the hospital on his jeepney, that has become a makeshift ambulance for his community in Las Pińas City.
Go-to person
“It appears that word has spread in our subdivision that whenever someone has to be rushed to the hospital, they come to me,” Balbido said in the same interview.
“I already know the Philippine General Hospital like the back of my hand,” he added with a laugh.
Balbido, also a father of five, recalled how one of his neighbors, Edelberto Conwe, suffered a stroke one night.
“I think he was gambling and he won something. That’s when he had an attack,” Balbido said.
He ended up driving Conwe to two hospitals after the first one could not immediately admit him. The doctors later told the victim’s family that he would not have survived if he had arrived at the hospital any later.
“He’s okay now. He can’t speak that well yet, but I think he recognizes me,” Balbido said.
He also recalled one incident in which he drove a hit-and-run victim to a hospital.
“I first went to a private hospital but they wouldn’t accept him. They said they didn’t accept charity cases. So I had to rush him to a public hospital,” he said.
Balbido waited until a family member came for the victim and left soon after. He didn’t get the chance to speak to the family—or even just to accept their thanks.
For his efforts, Balbido was also named one of Caltex’s 10 Most Outstanding Public Transport Drivers of the Year in 2003.
He recalled speaking before a crowd of schoolchildren at a Manila school upon the invitation of Galing Pilipino Movement, an organization that honors simple Filipinos who show exemplary qualities.
Sound advice
“I just told them, study hard and work hard for your dream. Whether you become a lawyer or a doctor, just always try to be a good person,” he said.
“That’s the lesson I hope my own children take to heart,” Balbido added.
This year, Goodyear is conducting another search for drivers with exemplary characters like Atillo and Balbido.
“We call on the public to actively participate in the search by nominating members of their family or community who fit the criteria,” said Goodyear Philippines president and managing director David Joseph Morin in a statement.
“We come across ‘heroes’ every day on the road, often without knowing it,” he said.
“They are those whose real greatness is not readily apparent. So let’s take a second look at our humble, simple, ordinary neighbors who, because of their courage, integrity and compassion—do extraordinary things every day,” Morin said.
To nominate a Bayani ng Kalsada, one should fill out a form available at Goodyear Servitek dealers and TyrePro outlets nationwide, as well as government offices like the Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
Entries may also be submitted at the Goodyear Philippines office on Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Pińas or at the Zest Asia office at Warehouse 13, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City.
Forms may also be sent via fax to the Goodyear office (8764596) or the secretariat (8937049). Nominations will also be accepted through SMS—text BNK to register and send to 2299. The deadline for the submission of entries is on Dec. 31.
The contest has four categories: Public utility jeepney drivers, taxi/FX drivers, commercial truck/bus drivers and private drivers.
Each winner will receive P30,000 in cash, P500,000 personal accident insurance, a Peso Card pre-loaded with P10,000 in cash, a Starcash card pre-loaded with P10,000, a training certificate worth P3,000, a Revicon Forte gift pack, a food cart worth P10,000, a special jacket and a trophy.
|
