Airport janitress returns $10,000 to Indian national

Now here’s something foreign travel advisories should include about the Philippines: Travelers likely to get lost money back.

A janitress at the Manila Domestic Airport returned intact yesterday an envelope containing $10,000 left on a chair at the airport’s pre-departure area by an Indian national.

"Although it was the first time in my life that I ever held such an amount, it never crossed my mind to keep it," airport worker Florita Mondoyo, 31, said yesterday. "I don’t keep what isn’t mine."

Mondoyo, who earns a meager P180 a day, said she found the bulging envelope while sweeping the floor at the airport terminal. When she checked, she saw that the envelope contained $10,000 in $100 bills. The name "Nedhal Aldhalain" was written on the envelope.

Mondoyo said she immediately sought the help of Dina de Leon, who was at the time manning the airport’s central paging system. De Leon lost no time in paging Aldhalain, an Indian national.

Aldhalain, who was with another Indian, was about to board an Asian Spirit plane for Baguio City when he discovered that his cash-filled envelope was missing.

Aldhalain then heard his name being paged and rushed to the paging booth where De Leon returned the envelope to him in front of Mondoyo.

But the Indian, who was in a hurry to board his plane, neglected to even thank Mondoyo. After getting his money back, he rushed to the boarding gate, without even a backward glance at the janitress.

Mondoyo has been working at the domestic airport for over a year now. She lives with her family in a rented apartment at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

When asked if she knew the equivalent in pesos of her find, Mondoyo said she certainly knew it was enough to improve her lifestyle.

"But that is not what honesty is all about," she declared.

Although an unpopular tourist destination in recent weeks due to a prolonged hostage crisis in Mindanao, the Philippines is in many ways, still a tourist haven.

Ask Nedhal Aldhalain.