Honest truck driver returns lost bag full of cash, jewelry

STA. BARBARA, Pangasinan – It was a Valentine gift no one expected.

Daniel Sermese, a family man who could hardly make both ends meet as a truck driver, gifted a stranger with his honesty. After finding a bag full of cash and jewelry, he immediately searched for its rightful owner.

Sometime last week of January, Sermese, about 30 years old, saw a red shoulder bag as he was traversing the highway in Barangay Ventenilla this town. Inside, he found P30,000 cash and  assorted jewelry worth about P400,000.

Sermese, however, believes that poverty is not enough reason to own something that belongs to someone else. His wife is a homemaker and they have a two-year-old daughter. They live in a small house in Barangay Alipangpang, Pozorrubio.

Like a detective, Sermese used the name and photograph he found in the bag to ask if people knew the owner.

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Sermese, along with his family and relatives, surprised the owner of the lost bag who turned out to be the mother of a councilor.

“This was a very beautiful Valentine’s gift to my mother,” said Sta. Barbara Councilor Alexander Parayno, referring to his mother Erlinda.

The councilor said they didn’t expect the bag would be returned.

He said his mother, 65, sells jewelry. He narrated that his mother remembers putting her bag on top of the trunk of her red Mitsubishi Lancer as she opened the house gate, but forgot about it as she sped off to Dagupan City.

By chance, Sermese was driving his truck on the opposite direction of the highway when he noticed the red bag.

“I really salute his honesty. He is a good example to all,” said Parayno, who rewarded Sermese with P10,000.

He said he knows this is a small amount compared to the great deed of Sermese. Parayno learned that it was not the first time that the truck driver returned a lost bag. Parayno said he was told that Sermese previously found a bag containing P150,000 cash and he also turned it over to its rightful owner.

Parayno said he will also file a resolution on Wednesday at the Sangguniang Bayan of Sta. Barbara commending the acts of Sermese.

“Heaven will reward him for his great honesty. He is really one-of-a kind,” he said.         – Eva Visperas