3 workers add to Naia’s growing list of ‘angels’

It may rank among the “worst” in terms of amenities, but the old Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) can outshine them all in one aspect.

“Angels in disguise”—that’s how  chief Jose Angel Honrado described three airport employees (two of them assigned at Terminal 1) who recently added to the growing list of Naia personnel who had returned cash and other valuables left behind by passengers at the country’s premiere gateway.

Honrado on Friday said the Manila International Airport Authority, the government agency that operates Naia, was deeply proud of pushcart retrievers Rodolfo Bernal Jr. and Jony Villon and collection teller Reneel Sison.

“We are happy that the tribe is increasing,” the MIAA general manager said.

Bernal became the latest Naia worker lauded for honesty when he returned on Wednesday night a pouch left by an inbound Filipino-Australian passenger at Terminal 1. The pouch contained Australian dollars worth about P24,000 (not P60,000 as earlier reported).

The owner of the pouch, 21-year-old Koby Edward Max Griffiths, returned to the airport accompanied by his father and was pleased to see his belongings intact.

Honest people

“I thought it was forever lost. So nice to know that there are honest people around here,” Griffith’s father said.

Earlier, Villon returned an envelope containing US dollars equivalent to around P215,000 that was left also at Terminal 1 by a seafarer’s wife.

The grateful owner gave Villon a token of appreciation, while Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) director general Joel Villanueva offered Villon a scholarship for a vocational course.

On Jan. 13, a Manila-based Chinese businesswoman left a bag containing a golden necklace and local and Chinese currency equivalent to about P150,000 at the predeparture gate of Terminal 3.

The bag was picked up by Sison, who turned it over to the airport police. Authorities were able to contact the owner after an airline official helped translate the Chinese characters in the calling cards also found in the bag.

The Chinese woman later got her bag and valuables back when she returned to Manila.

Andro Laxina, the supervisor of Bernal and Villon, also lauded the two employees, saying their good deeds improved the image of the airport.

‘Normal thing to do’

Naia Terminal 1, the oldest of the three international terminals, has ranked among the worst in the world in the past few years. It is currently undergoing improvements.

“Returning lost items is standard operating procedure (SOP) for us. It has to be a normal thing to do, whether it involves cash, cell phones, tablets or other gadgets. We always tell our porters to do the right thing. Imagine if someone left something on a cart and failed to recover it? It would give our unit a bad name,” Laxina said.

Honrado added: “I am proud to say that our airport employees are honest and passengers can be assured that items left behind will be turned over to the lost-and-found section of the airport, to be released only to the rightful owners.”