"We Must Return The Money. It's Not Ours."
By Dedette Sison-Santiago

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(Upon learning of the remarkable act of honesty of Cristina Bugayong, we asked the Filipinas editorial coordinator in Manila, Dedette Santiago, to interview her and her mother. We also decided to feature her on the cover of the February issue as a testament to our hope in the future of the Philippines. The interview has been translated from the original Tagalog.)

Cristina or Tinay, 12 years old, is the sixth in a brood of eight. Her father Cesar, 43, is jobless.

"Pa-extra-extra bilang tubero at electrician," (He works odd jobs as a plumber and electrician) says Tinay's mother, Aling Luzviminda, 45.

Aling Luzviminda works as a helper in a canteen that delivers food to different offices, earns P2,000 a month and works five days a week.

"Naglalabada ako kapag Sabado, pahinga sa Linggo." (I wash clothes on Saturday and rest on Sunday.)

The Bugayongs live in a compound along Gener street in Quezon City, owned by her husband's family. By my estimate, their shanty measures 3x4 meters, with hardly any furniture. The TV set was bought about five years ago when Mang Gener (an uncle) was working as a seaman. The space serves as the children's bedroom at night (five children sleep there; two are married and one of them often sleeps in a neighbor's house). It serves as a sala during the day. A makeshift bedroom for the couple is located in the rear.

DS: What happened that night when you picked up the money? Where did you see it?

Cristina: My friend Cherry Ann and I were outside at around 7:20 in the evening telling stories. Then someone on a motorcycle passed by and I noticed something fall. We saw that it was money. We tried to go after the person, but he sped away and we could not see his face.

Luzviminda: Tinay came into the house and told me that a man dropped the money but she did not know who he was. She wanted to return the money immediately because it was not ours.

DS: How much do you think was the amount that Tinay picked up?
Luzviminda: A lot. More than P300,000 as counted by her Uncle Leclec. We brought it to Auntie Gigi. Then we went to the office of Happy Valley because that was what was written on the checks. We also went to my employer and she called up the media. She first called GMA 7 in order to make an announcement on the air. This was only announced the following day in "Unang Hirit" (a GMA newscast), but that night they took pictures of the money to prove that it had been found.

DS: How did you feel when Tinay arrived with the money?

Luzviminda: We were surprised and frankly it was tempting. I held it and fanned myself with it. I thought of not returning it, but Tinay was firm in saying, "No, Nanay, we must return the money. It's not ours. Pity the owner." I really thought about it but I would not have been able to do it because I'm afraid of karma. It was important to return the money.

DS: Have you experienced karma?

Luzviminda: No, but it is said that it is bad if you suffer karma. I'm afraid something might happen to me. Another thing, I also thought, "What about the person who lost the money that was not his and he's only a worker?"And that, in fact, was the case. We learned that the messenger who lost the money didn't know how to tell his employer what had happened. He could not sleep the whole night wondering how to find the lost checks and cash.

DS: Tinay, why are you so honest? Was this taught to you by your parents?

Cristina: Not really, but in school we are taught good manners and right conduct, to be honest and to respect our elders.

DS: Tell us what you do every day.

Cristina: I wake up at five in the morning when I have classes because I have the keys to our classroom. I open it every morning. Even without an allowance, I go to school. I bring snacks to the classrooms from the canteen and leave them with the teachers. One o'clock is when we go home. I bring my things home then go back to school to deliver the snacks for the afternoon classes. There are ten classrooms.

Luzviminda: Often, when she comes home, she has already had lunch because they feed her at the canteen. Sometimes she brings home spaghetti. So her food is free.

DS: What do you like to do, Tinay?

Cristina: I like to play badminton and ride a bike. (She borrows her friend's bike).

Luzviminda: She is hardworking. She does chores in the house. She is also hardheaded sometimes. When I ask her to do something, she says she'll do it later, and then she runs out to play. Tinay is a little slow in the head. She has difficulty with the English subject. At times, I tell her to stop studying and just help me. She may not be able to cope with school work in the later years. But she says, "No, Nanay, I will study. I will find a way to be able to study." Now, with God's help, I no longer have a problem because she has been given a scholarship by Southern Technical Institute (STI).

DS: Nanay, can you tell us about your daily life? How you do make ends meet?
Luzviminda: Sometimes we only eat twice a day. We're lucky if we eat three times and we're lucky if we are able to buy a piece of chicken neck. Most of the time we eat eggs and sardines. But our relatives are good to us because when they hear that the children have nothing to eat, they give us food.

Dedette Sison-Santiago is Filipinas' editorial coordinator in Manila.