NAIA staff, cabbie cited for honesty

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila International Airport Authority gave recognition to a wheelchair attendant and a taxi driver who returned items left behind by passengers, MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said yesterday.

Taxi driver Antonio Infanta, 71, was unaware that his passenger, Benjamin Cantanero, 32, left behind a bag on the back seat that contained P220,000 and a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge when he got off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3’s departure area on the night of Jan. 19.

Cantanero sought the assistance of airport police personnel and gave them the number of the mobile phone he left in the bag.

Infanta returned to the terminal and returned Cantanero’s bag minutes after answering the call.

Meanwhile, wheelchair attendant Rizaldy Ocde returned a bag containing $11,075 and more than P11,000 he found at a foreign exchange counter at the NAIA Terminal 3 at past midnight yesterday. 

Monreal said they traced the owner, overseas worker Mary Gane, through the passport in the bag.

The bag was returned to Gane, who intends to use the money to purchase a house for her family in Iloilo, ABS-CBN reported.