Honest Naia porter returns P120K

After 12 years of working as a porter at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1, Porferio Lavado Jr. is no longer surprised when he comes across items left behind by passengers hurrying to catch their flights.

While the policy of finders-keepers may appeal to some, the idea of not returning someone else’s belonging has never crossed the 42-year-old Lavado’s mind.

While working on his birthday on June 25, for instance, he found an envelope containing $430 in cash. He promptly turned over the money to his supervisor who surrendered it to the Naia’s lost and found section.

“I have never thought of keeping things for myself. Why should I? They’re not mine,” he told the Inquirer in an interview yesterday.

On Thursday night, Lavado stuck to his belief when he found a blue pouch containing P120,000 in cash and at least 20 ATM and credit cards in a pushcart at the arrival area.

He immediately sought the assistance of Airport Police 2 Pablito Seño who was on duty at a nearby outpost.

A statement from the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) said the two surrendered Lavado’s find to the Intelligence and Investigation Division for the “proper identification of its rightful owner.”

Based on an identification card found inside the pouch, airport authorities identified the owner as Xiren Wu, a Chinese passenger. He later claimed it after he was paged over the Naia public announcement system.

Lavado said the Chinese national gave him a reward of P10,000 which he did not expect.

He did not want to keep all the money so he gave P7,000 to Seño, he added.

“I was left with P3,000 and of that, I gave P1,000 to some of the boys who helped us find the owner,” Lavado told the Inquirer. “For me, that’s enough. The money doesn’t matter,” he said.

MIAA General Manager Jose Angel Honrado was quick to commend Lavado and Seño for their honesty, saying they would be recognized in a ceremony next month along with other outstanding airport personnel.

Although thankful for the citation, Lavado—who earns P10,000 a month—does not consider his actions something out of the ordinary.

According to him, returning items belonging to other people was the “Christian thing” to do.

“You might think people don’t see you but in reality, God is always there watching you,” he said, adding, “We should be content with what we have. God will repay us for that.” With Krixia Subingsubing