Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) officer-in-charge general manager Bryan Co commended an honest security guard assigned at the greeter’s area (arrival extension) of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 who found and returned an abandoned suitcase containing a bundle of US dollarS in cash and Philippine pesos including some gold jewelry with a total of P1.9 million.
Security guard Mahmud Mastul spotted the unattended black suitcase last July 21, 2023 and immediately sought the assistance of the MIAA- Airport Police (MIAA-APD) and the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group.
As part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), police cordoned the area for explosive devices with the help of bomb-sniffing dogs and PNP Special Operations Unit (SOU) and found no threat to security.
Mastul, police officials and other witnesses brought the suitcase to the “Lost and Found Section” of the airport and inspected the contents of the left behind luggage for proper documentation.
Police contacted a certain Miguel Carpio, a passenger of Philippine Airlines (flight withheld) who immediately went back to the airport to claim his black suitcase after establishing the contents of the suitcase.
Mastul, 34, has been in NAIA since 2016 where he has been assigned in different areas of the airport. In his seven years of working there, he said this is the first time that he was able to experience a situation where his honesty was put to test.
“Kung hindi naman sa iyo, malaki man o maliit na bagay, kailangan mo i-surrender kasi hindi naman sa iyo ‘yung gamit na ‘yon. Hindi mo dapat pag-interesan ang hindi sa iyo. Kailangan isasauli sa tunay na may-ari ang gamit na ‘yon.” Mastul confidently said.
Co said the honesty shown by Mahmud is a welcome development at the airport.
