Ilonggo Cab Driver Who Returned   P2.4 M Deserves More Rewards

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into a failure.” —James Altucher

HONEST taxi driver Anthony Barredo Aguerre of Pavia, Iloilo should get more than P50,000 cash rewards from the government, private donors, civic organizations, and other Good Samaritans.

We are waiting for the Iloilo Provincial Government, in particular, and the Department of Tourism (DoT) to also chip in and acknowledge Aguerre’s amazing rectitude.

For bringing the backpack left by a passenger containing P2.4 million to the Police Station 8 in Iloilo City on Jan. 18, the 52-year-old cabbie raised the bar of the entire Ilonggos to the highest plinth and proved to the world once again that we have adopted honesty as a matter of pride, tradition and identity since time immemorial.

In other cities and provinces, businessmen, impressed by this rare act of honesty from ordinary workers, donated not only cash but scholarships for children and other non-cash rewards without much ado.

It is not in the amount of cash that the likes of Aguerre will bring home as reward that will encourage more people like him to emulate the decency and pureness of heart and mind.

It’s how we value and recognize virtuousness and uprightness of nameless individuals at times when the virtue of honesty is almost ignored, forgotten, and scoffed at given the depressing economic reality.

-o0o-

Ilonggos have been known to be honest people ever since Datu Paiburong’s dominion of Irong-Irong when Panay Island was ruled under the Code of Kalantiao, where peace and prosperity reigned for 300 years until disrupted by the Spanish colonizers.

The honesty of Ilonggos has a storied past. According to many historians, when the Spaniards arrived in Irong-Irong and left their belongings ashore for several nights, they were astonished to find out that not a single item was missing.

It’s not surprising that every now and when, we hear stories about acts of honesty committed mostly by ordinary Ilonggos.

We laud the efforts of of the Iloilo City Government led by Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas who signed an executive order declaring the good taxi driver as “adopted son of Iloilo City” and awarding him P20,000 cash.

Also, we doff our hats off Iloilo 2^nd district Rep. Michael Gorriceta for responding with another P30,000 cash rewards.

Even without the financial windfall, we believe more Anthony Barredo Aguerres will surface in the future to showcase their own breathtaking acts of heroism and honesty.

-o0o-

LET’S PUSH AWAY PESTS. The smell of camomile deters most small flies. Let’s make our own pesticide by infusing camomile flowers in hot water for 10 minutes. Let’s spray on plants to prevent pests alighting.

GOOD NIGHT, POUNDS. We don’t have to dream about weight loss. One way to make it a reality: Relax for 20 minutes before bed, suggests Dr. Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet. Winding down before hitting the pillows helps keep us out of the kitchen (and away from tempting leftovers). Let’s try mellowing out to soft music or soaking in a warm bath.

“SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” paraphernalia; however, gov’t-issued brochures and videos featured a slightly different slogan during the WWII era–“Don’t forget– Put it on before you put it in.” During the Second World War, many soldiers returned home with venereal diseases, costing the gov’t millions of dollars in medical expenses.

HELP PREVENT EATING DISORDERS. Adolescent girls who eat five or more meals a week with their families are about one-third less likely to develop dangerous eating patterns (like self-induced vomiting and using laxatives or diet pills) than those who dine with their folks less often, reports a recent study from the University of Minnesota.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)