4 weeks ago
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A CONTRACTUAL employee who works as janitor at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has been recently cited and rewarded for exceptional honesty and integrity.
Ronald Gadayan, a resident of Norzagaray in Bulacan, was assigned to keep restrooms clean and spotless at the airport and over the years, he has found and returned to their rightful owner at least P6 million in cash and valuables left behind by passengers.
Gadayan's acts of honesty reached San Miguel Corp. (SMC) chairman and CEO Ramon Ang, who recently invited Gadayan and his wife Rosalie to his executive office.
There, the SMC boss presented the janitor with P200,000 in cash and a jeepload of Purefoods products as reward for being an honest man.
Among the items Gadayan has found inside the restrooms are a bag containing P2.4 million in cash and jewelry, three wallets with $5,000, P100,000, and P17,000 in them, and high-end cellphones.
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Without hesitation, Gadayan, who makes roughly P480 a day as janitor, would surrender the items and make sure these are returned to their rightful owners.
Grateful to what Gadayan has done, Ang wanted to commend the janitor in person.
To make the connection, "RSA had to reach down, way down to talk to someone who was working as a mere janitor at the airport," said columnist Ramon Tulfo, personal friend of San Miguel's top honcho.
Ronald Gadayan FILE PHOTO
It will be remembered that San Miguel had won the multibillion peso contract to refurbish and modernize NAIA, the country's gateway to the world.
Tulfo said RSA was excited to meet Gadayan.
"An honest man himself, RSA must have found a kindred spirit in Gadayan," Tulfo said in an interview.
"When Eduardo 'Danding' Cojuangco went on exile with the Marcos family in 1986, he left all his wealth to RSA's care," Tulfo said.
"RSA could have appropriated the fabulous wealth for himself, but he didn't. When Danding returned after many years of absence, he handed him back the companies entrusted to him, plus the companies formed or acquired under his management."
Gadayan was also feted, along with his wife and three children, by SM Marilao, giving him gift certificates, which the family used to shop and dine.
The provincial government of Bulacan granted granted him the "Gawad Katapatan" award in 2013.
Gadayan was also recognized as "Asia's Most Trustworthy, Outstanding Janitor, and Humanitarian Hero" at the 9th Asia Pacific Luminare Awards.
In 2012, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, touted by the international media as a papabile (Italian for "worthy of being or eligible to be pope") personally extended his congratulations and well-wishes.
Last year, Gadayan was hailed as the "Most Honest Filipino Janitor and Inspiring Hero of the Year" at the Gawad Bayaning Pilipino 2024.
