Twelve-year-old Cristina Bugayong, a sixth-grader at the T. Morato Elementary School in Kamuning, Quezon City was chatting with a friend Wednesday night when P300,000 in cash and checks practically landed on her lap.
"I saw something fall from a motorcycle as it sped past. I saw money bundled together with rubber bands," said Tinay, as she is fondly called by friends and teachers, in Filipino.
She said she immediately scooped up the package and called after the person riding the motorcycle, but the rider was going too fast.
"Ang unang naisip ko po nung napulot ko ’yung pera ay isosoli ko po ito sa may-ari kasi kawawa naman po siya at saka baka po matanggal po sa trabaho ’yung nakahulog nu’ng pera (The first thought I had was to return the money to its owner because the one who lost it could lose his job)," Tinay said. "Kahit po naisip ko din na makakatulong po sana ito sa amin (Even though it occurred to me that the money could have helped us)."
The package Tinay recovered attracted the attention of onlookers and neighbors, and very soon she was in the middle of a crowd.
"An uncle of mine was outside at the time and it was to him I brought the money. We counted it... (but) the crowd became bigger so we went home and hid the money," Tinay said.
She estimated the bundle of cash and checks amounted to at least P300,000, with bills bundled together according to denomination.
Tinay said nine bank checks of different amounts, some for as much as P60,000, flew into the air and she had to pick them up one by one.
She managed to recover eight checks, while the ninth was given to her hours later by another person who found it on the road.
Upon arriving at their small home, Tinay’s mother asked her what she had found.
"I could not believe what my daughter found," Luzviminda said in Filipino. "Nataranta po kami sa malaking halaga (We panicked at the amount of money involved)."
"Nasabik po ako kaya talagang minabuti ko po na hawakan man lang ang pera na ‘yon dahil ngayon lamang po ako makakahawak ng ganoong halaga. Pero si Tinay po ang magpapasya kung ano ang gusto niya mangyari sa pera na iyon (I was eager to hold the money because it is the first time I could hold such a large amount. But it is Tinay who will decide what to do with the money)," she added.
As neighbors started to tease Tinay, asking for "balato" — a gift of cash usually given away to neighbors and relatives by those who win the lottery — she firmly declared that she wanted to return the money to its rightful owner.
It is not the first time that Tinay recovered money and returned it to its owner. Last year, she returned P5,000 to a newsboy after it fell from his belt bag while he was rushing past.
In 2004, Tinay said she found and returned P1,000 accidentally left by a soft drink delivery boy.
Tinay, who will graduate from elementary school this March, is the sixth child of Luzviminda and Cesar Bugayong. The couple has eight children — two boys and six girls — all of them living in a small house on T. Gener street in Barangay Kamuning, Quezon City.
Tinay, who dreams of becoming a newspaper reporter someday, is one of only three Bugayong children attending school. The others had to stop because their parents lacked the funds to send all of them to school.
Luzviminda works as a cook in a canteen and sometimes accepts laundry, while Cesar occasionally finds work as a carpenter. Luzviminda budgets the P2,000 to P4,000 she earns each month to make ends meet for the whole family.
Tinay is given P10 a day as "baon" or lunch money, but she finds a way to earn money to save her mother from giving her an allowance.
Luzviminda said Tinay would sometimes go to the canteen where she works to help after school, and the young girl could earn herself P20 or an order of spaghetti. Sometimes, Luzviminda said, Tinay would collect garbage to earn her "baon."
According to Luzviminda, Tinay is a resourceful child, "mahina ang ulo pero matiyaga (not very bright but industrious)." She added that her daughter likes going to school, studying and learning new things.
Joynalyn Isip, Tinay’s class adviser, also noted the young girl’s perseverance to learn. She also pointed out Tinay’s outstanding character traits.
"Tinay is not a class officer but she is the one I depend on in class. I can trust her to watch over her classmates when I am out, her classmates listen to her. And especially with regards to money, I can surely trust her on that," Isip told The STAR.
Isip said for the past six years, Tinay has been known among school teachers and her peers as a trustworthy and honest student.
Isip said school officials will honor Tinay with some form of recongition for her "highly commendable act."
"Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, ang ganoong kalaki na halaga ay talagang makakatulong sa kanila pero talagang she asserted strongly na ibalik yung pera sa may-ari (With times so hard now, that much money would have helped them but she strongly asserted that the money must be returned to its owner)... I hope she would continue being good and continue doing good things so that she will be emulated by others, especially the students," she said.
Recovering the money brought Tinay some measure of fame. Unused to strangers asking her questions, she broke down in the middle of an interview with journalists.
The government of Quezon City is set to honor Tinay with a plaque of recognition. Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the city government will also extend educational assistance to Tinay and help her achieve her dream.
Quezon City Councilor Ariel Inton visited Tinay in school yesterday and expressed his appreciation for her kindness. He gave her P5,000 as a reward.
As of press time, three persons have reportedly claimed ownership of the cash and checks recovered by Tinay. But the package remains in safekeeping as claimants are being subjected to screening, reportedly by the GMA-7 television network.
The money is said to belong to Techpoint Computers, the name that is on the checks and deposit slips that were found with the cash.
When asked if she wants any reward for returning the money, Tinay beamed and said: "Wala po. Yung may-ari na po ang bahala kung magbibigay po siya o hindi pero okay lang po sa akin kung wala (None. It’s up to the owner to give a reward, but it is okay with me if there is none)."
Tinay’s mother, however, said enough capital to start a "sari-sari" or variety store would be enough reward for her daughter’s good deed.
Tinay then piped up, airing an appeal for financial help — not for her family, but for her classmates.
"Sana lang po tulungan ng mga mayayaman ’yung mga kaklase ko na mahihirap, ‘yun lang po (I wish those who can afford it would help my classmates who are poor, that’s all)," she said.