3 government workers return bag containing P16T

Three staff of a provincial board member returned a bag containing P16,000 to a woman from Talisay City currently living in Australia but here to attend her father's funeral.

Joel Dulante, Ermi Bonghanoy and Angelo Retuerto just left a seminar they sponsored for barangay health workers in Consolacion town in NS Pension when they hailed the Catz taxi with plate number GWY-579 driven by Allan Dicdican.

After they got in, Dulante noticed a sling bag left behind between the car seat and the door.

The bag contained P16,973, a withdrawal slip, a Maritime Workers of Australia Credit Union Visa card and an Australian passport.

It turned out the bag was left behind by Dicdican's previous passenger Maria Socorro Gulliford, 36, a native of Talisay City but currently living in Australia.

Dicdican said he dropped off Gulliford, who happened to be his neighbor, at the downtown area but he failed to notice she left her bag. Dulante asked Dicdican to contact her and also left him his contact number.

Dicdican then saw another neighbor, also a taxi driver, who was able to contact Gulliford and told her about the lost bag. Gulliford claimed it at the office of Provincial Board member Alfie Ouano's office at 12:40 p.m. yesterday.

Dulante said that Gulliford offered to give them a cash reward but they turned it down since they also knew that her father just passed away.

He said that they never had any second thoughts about returning the money. - Flor Z. Perolina