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By Jayson Cruz Luna, Reporter
A “Stitch” in time saved Rose nine nearly
100,000 times over.
That was what Alexander “Stitch” Latag did,
returning the P1 million in cash that he had found inside Cyma
restaurant, where he was a waiter, on May 7 to its rightful owner,
Rose Rafael. The president of a recruitment agency, Rafael had left
the money that was inside a bag at the restaurant.
Latag, 23, earned praises from his colleagues
and the management of the Cyma Estiatorio restaurant in Makati City
for not taking the money that was not his.
The grateful customer, Rafael of the recruitment
agency Skyworld Business Merger Inc., rewarded him with P100,000.
“My parents taught me not to take anything
that doesn’t belong to me. I know what I did was right. And I
really pity the owner [of the money],” recalled Latag, also known
as “Stitch” to his friends for his seeming resemblance to the
popular Walt Disney cartoon character.
At first, he said, he thought that the bag was
just trash or that it might even contain a bomb. Latag added that he
decided to check first what was inside the bag before throwing it to
the garbage can. According to him, he was amazed when he saw bundles
of P1,000 bills.
“I looked at [the bag] to check whether it was
trash or a bomb and I felt nervous when I saw bundles of P1,000
bills inside the bag,” Latag said.
When he showed it to a colleague, a lot of
things played on their minds, he said. They thought that the money
might be ransom or intended for illegal purposes.
Latag said he saw the woman, who had left the
bag, outside Cyma. He waited one-and-a-half hours for her to come
back and when she did not, he gave the bag to their manager, Jay
Espinosa.
Espinosa sealed it with scotch tape and placed
it inside their vault but in the evening, just as they were about to
close, Rafael returned to check on her belongings.
“She [Rafael] looked so worried. She said she
could not remember where she actually left the money,” the
restaurant manager recounted.
After Rafael passed the restaurant’s required
security and character checks on such matters involving its
customers, Espinosa admitted that the money was in their possession.
Rafael returned the following day to retrieve the money and gave the
cash reward to Stitch.
“From the bottom of my heart, please accept
this reward,” Espinosa quoted Rafael as telling Stitch.
“I’m not even expecting that she would me
give something as a reward. Wala naman sa akin ‘yun [It was
nothing with me]. Masaya ako wala na siyang problema [I’m happy
that she does not have a problem anymore],” he said.
Espinosa said Stitch is one of his best servers
in the restaurant and is loved by customers for his sense of humor
and genuine care for them.
“If he’s on duty, it seems like we have a
stand-up comedian. People laugh at him. He [is] good [in] PR [public
relations]. He looks after them [customers] so much, that’s why
they really like him,” the restaurant manager added. Espinosa said
Stitch was a pioneer waiter of Cyma.
Stitch said he does not even know what to do
with the money, which he had kept in a bank. True to being generous
and kind-hearted, he has treated his colleagues.
“My parents told me that I did the right
thing. Kahit kapos kami sa pera, hindi sila nanghinayang [Even if we
have little money, they are not sorry that I returned the money].
They were so happy and proud of me,” he said.
Stitch, being the only child, is the breadwinner
of the family. He lives with his parents in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan
City.
His mother sells breakfast foods in the
neighborhood while his father used to drive a jeepney but stopped
after figuring in an accident.
Espinosa said Stitch also helps in the treatment
of the ailing wife of his cousin Ricardo, who had helped him through
college until he graduated with a Hotel and Restaurant Management
degree from the University of Manila.
“I’m saving money so I could buy a house for
my parents and possibly, a jeepney for my father,” when asked
about his ambition in life.
“Nakansala pa nga ang bahay nila [They had
hocked their house],” Espinosa said of a serious problem of the
Latags.
Stitch said he is working on his papers so he
could work in Singapore.
“I love serving people. This is what I want to
do,” he added.
Stitch said he was not expecting anything from
the Cyma management. The owners issued a memorandum praising his
honesty.
Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay also praised
Stitch.
“In times like these, it is very hard to find
people who would not be tempted by easy money. I hope that more
people would emulate the good deed of Alexander Latag,” Binay said
in a letter to Stitch.
The mayor also praised the entire management and
staff of Cyma for setting a good example.
Last year, a waiter of Cyma named Anthony
Cayabyab 2nd returned the wallet of Noel Gonzales, Muebles Italiano
owner, who had accidentally dropped it in the men’s room. Gonzales
thanked Cayabyab and also rewarded him for his good deed.
“I also extend my sincere congratulations to
Robby Goco, owner of Cyma, and its entire management, for being
blessed with honest employees,” Binay said.
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