Mildred Perez of Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya may just be one of the 126,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that are currently employed as domestic helper in Hong Kong. However, her recent act of honesty by choosing to return a bag full of cash and checks she found sets her apart from the rest.

What makes the case of Mildred more amazing is the fact that she could have kept the money to herself, something she badly needs. Poverty is the main reason why she decided to work abroad. She needs to find a way to support her two children.

Unfortunately, Mildred’s dream to attain a better life for her family did not come so easily. In 2007, she filed a sexual assault charge against her employer and had been unemployed ever since. Foreign workers in Hong Kong with a pending case in court are prohibited to take a job until the hearing is in progress.

To survive and finance her case in court, she rummages trash bins in Hong Kong everyday to find recyclable items to sell such as soft drink cans and cardboard boxes. Unable to send money to the Philippines, Mildred’s children were forced to drop out of school.

On April 29, when Mildred and a friend found cash and checks amounting to HK$350,545 or Pph 2.1 million, it is understandable if she deemed it as fate’s way of giving her the assistance she needs.

She just renewed her visa at the immigration department when she noticed a thick envelope inside a garbage can on the corner of Pottinger Street and Des Voeux Road. She picked it up and gave it to her companion.

When they discovered what they had found, Mildred decided to return the money by calling up the company indicated in the check. The person who lost the money was an ordinary employee known as Kitty who was assigned to deposit the money in a bank. Mildred met Kitty and her superior Yvonne Tsang at Fairwood in Tin Shui Wai to hand over the cash and checks

Upon discovering what she found, Perez said, “Of course, I couldn’t sleep. It’s money. That would have allowed me to go home. But I was thinking, who left the money? What if he is just another worker? He would lose his job. How many people depend on him? I couldn’t keep it. My conscience would have bothered me no end if I did otherwise.”

Of course, Mildred deserved more than a can of cookies and it’s a good thing that Philippine officials took notice of her good deed and her plight. As an appreciation for the act she rendered that is worthy of emulation, Perez will be given a plane ticket so she can be with her family in the Philippines, money she can use as capital to start a business, and a college scholarship for her two children.

In a statement, Senator Francis Escudero said, “Her deed only shows that Filipinos, however poor and lowly they may be, wherever they may be, are honest and morally upright. Perez should be emulated and recognized for what she did notwithstanding the dire financial straits she is in.”

On the other hand, Carlos Padilla, Nueva Vizcaya Representative filed a resolution that would honor Perez for her honesty. This resolution was recently approved as House Resolution 1212.

Padilla said, “By returning the money, Perez has demonstrated that the traits of honesty and trustworthiness are not lost among the Filipinos even abroad. Moreover, she has set an example, worthy of emulation which deserves the full appreciation and deep gratitude of the Filipino nation.”