Airport staff and the American passenger who lost and later found his cash. Photo from MIAA
MANILA, Philippines — An American passenger lost his $1,017 (P55,237.87) cash at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), but recovered it in less than an hour with the help of airport personnel, the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) announced Wednesday.
According to Miaa, the passenger dropped his money in the departure area of Naia Terminal 3 while completing departure formalities before boarding his flight bound for Tokyo, Japan, via ANA Airlines.
Thankfully, personnel from various agencies could find the American traveler’s money again after Aviation Security guard Mercy Pecson coordinated with ANA Airlines, Naia Terminal 3 Operations, and Airport Police Department (APD) to search for the cash.
“Naabutan ko ‘yung supervisor ng ANA Airlines, sabi niya may nakahulog daw ng pera… tapos tinawag ko ‘yung naka-assign sa departure, si APO2 Ryan Dela Peña. Binilang ni Sir Dela Peña sa harap ng ANA Airlines Supervisor (Mr. Jon Manoto) at Operations (Ma’am Criselda Macaro) ‘yung pera,” narrated Pecson in the MIAA statement on how they recovered the missing bond.
(I caught up with the supervisor of ANA Airlines. They said someone dropped their money… Then I called the one assigned to departure, APO2 Ryan Dela Peña. Sir Dela Peña counted the money in front of the ANA Airlines Supervisor (Mr. Jon Manoto) and Operations (Ma’am Criselda Macaro))
“Apat kaming andoon kasama ako at si Sir Dela Peña, bago namin dinala sa APD para mag-request ng CCTV para makita kung sinong nakahulog. Naabutan namin doon si Lt. Galan at si Sir Fadriquela. After 30 mins, pinasa na ‘yung picture nung Amerikano, [Inquirer.net redacted the name of the passenger for security purposes] flight NH280, ANA Airlines,” Pecson added.
(There were four of us including me and Sir Dela Peña, before we took them to the APD to request CCTV to see who fell. We caught up with Lt. Galan and Sir Fadriquela. After 30 mins, the picture of the American was passed, flight NH280, ANA Airlines.)
The Miaa commended the involved airport employees for their honesty and integrity.
“Their actions not only helped the passenger who had lost his money but also upheld the reputation of NAIA. It is heartening to know that there are still people who prioritize doing the right thing, and their actions deserve our respect and recognition,” it said in a statement.
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