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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Down on luck farmer's turn to receive reward for returning P133,000 on Christmas Day

Down on luck farmer's turn to receive reward for returning P133,000 on Christmas Day

Published Jan 6, 2021 11:08 am

CAMP DANGWA, Benguet – Mando Alonzo may have been down on his luck ever since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic struck, but this was not enough reason for him to keep P133,000 in cash that did not belong to him.

Tublay MPS Chief PLt. Jeremias Toyokan personally handed the amount of P37,740.00 to farmer Mando Alonzo for the payment of the remaining hospital bills of his wife. The amount came from the personal pocket of PROCOR Director R’win Pagkalinawan, as reward for being honest and kind. (Photo by Tublay MPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
Tublay MPS Chief PLt. Jeremias Toyokan personally handed the amount of P37,740.00 to farmer Mando Alonzo for the payment of the remaining hospital bills of his wife. The amount came from the personal pocket of PROCOR Director R’win Pagkalinawan, as reward for being honest and kind. (Photo by Tublay MPS / MANILA BULLETIN)

Out of a job and with unpaid hospital bills hounding him, Alonzo still showed exceptional character when he returned a sling bag containing the huge amount of cash that he found while walking on Baayan Road in Sitio Sayatan Road in Tublay, Benguet, on Christmas Day.

He went to the Tublay Municipal Station to seek assistance in locating the owner of the sling bag, who was later identified as Roger Santiago, based on the identification cards found in the bag.

Santiago, 29, and a resident of Poblacion, Bauko, Mountain Province, was contacted by the Tublay police, and immediately claimed his bag.

He thanked Alonzo for his honesty and kindness.

So moved was Police Regional Office (PRO) Cordillera Director Brig. Gen. R’win Pagkalinawan with Alonzo’s honesty that he shelled out his own money to pay for the bills he owed the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) after his wife was operated on last June 2020 for a gall bladder ailment.

Personnel of the Tublay police even fetched him from his home in Barangay Bayaan to accompany him to BGHMC where they paid the P37,740-bill.

Alonzo, who is also known as Manong Mando, expressed his gratitude for the unexpected blessing he got from Paglinawan and the Tublay police, saying that he no longer had any means to pay for the promisory note he executed to secure the release of his wife last June.

He also said that, while the P133,000 that he found were more than enough to pay for the bill, he said he did not think twice about returning what was not his.

While being a farmer, Alonzo also drives a jeepney traversing the Baguio-Pico route in La Trinidad. But because of the pandemic, he found himself out of a job.

To make ends meet, he helped his wife cultivate sayote, and help sell these in the market.

They were coping with the effects of the pandemic until their fortunes turned for worse when his wife was hospitalized in June.

Their health insurance, savings, and donations from friends and relatives fell short in covering the hospital bill.

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