CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Two honest farmers and a college student voluntarily returned to the owner close to P1 million in cash and valuables that they found placed inside a bag which they found at the right side of the road in Poblacion, Bokod here around 7:30 pm Saturday.
Superintendent Jonathan G. Valisto, Commanding Officer of the Benguet Provincial Public Safety Company, identified the individuals who returned the valuables and cash as Ryan Guinoran, 21, Rhey Manuel, 50, both farmers and residents of Babadak, Kabayan, Benguet and Arjill L. Sanchi, 19, a criminology student of the University of Baguio (UB) and a resident of Poblacion, Bokod, Benguet to the owners Rose Langbis Techap and Seth Domerez Techap, both of Adereg, Busaran, Kabayan, Benguet
The bag containing a total of P812,138 in various denominations, several bank books, several pieces of cellphones and various personal belongings of Techap and Domerez were formally turned over to them by Sanchi who was assisted by Supt. Calixto and Senior Superintendent David Q. Lacdan, Officer-In-Charge of the Benguet Provincial Police Office, during the simple turnover ceremonies Monday morning at the BPPO headquarters.
Initial police investigation showed that while the group of PO3 Ariel Langaoan was conducting a mobile patrol along the Bokod-Kabayan road and while at Poblacion, Bokod, the patrol vehicle was flagged down by the three individuals who were walking along the road and informed them that they found a bag that containing a huge amount of money and assorted documents and personal properties.
The concerned law enforcers immediately conducted an inventory of the contents of the bag in front of the three persons who reportedly found the same inside the bag that was recovered along a road and discovered that it contained over P812,138 in cash.
The Benguet PPSC immediately got in touch with the names of the owners based on the identification cards recovered inside the bag to confirm their ownership of the same and which resulted to the arranged turnover ceremonies.
Lacdan commended the honesty of the three individuals and the law enforcers who collectively worked out their direct linkage with the owners and for the smooth turnover of the recovered amount and other valuables to them intact.
“We should emulate the honesty displayed by the three individuals who found the bag along the road with substantial cash. We salute them for not being selfish in that instance that they found the bag and saw the huge amount of money. Their honesty is worth emulating by our people,” Lacdan stressed.
For his part, Calixto commended his personnel for having passed timely through the area and were able to extend the appropriate assistance to the ones that recovered the huge amount of money believed to have been lost by the owners while their vehicle was en route to Kabayan town early that day.
By Dexter A. See
