Aviation authority officials have commended two employees of Zamboanga International Airport who turned over to them the personal belongings and a bag with P200,000 cash, computer laptop, mobile phones, gadgets and other valuable items left unattended at the airport.
Eric Apolonio, chief information officer and spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, identified the airport workers as Arron Paul Villanueva and Gracelyn Alihuddin.
Apolonio said Villanueva was on duty as a facility cleaner at ZIA’s pre-departure area last Sunday when he noticed the valuable items, owned by Aljirum Kaluang Jadjuli of Zamboanga del Sur, unattended.
The items include four mobile phones (Samsung, Vivo and Oppo), a tablet and 24 pieces of assorted sunglasses, according to Apolonio.
Villanueva immedately reported and turned over the items at the airport’s Malasakit Help Desk where Jadjuli claimed it the next day.
Jadjuli was all praise for Villanueva and other ZIA officials led by terminal supervisor Socorro Reyes for the return of the items.
Last October, Alihuddin, another ZIA facility cleaner, found a bag owned by a Chinese passenger.
The bag contained a computer laptop, a mobile phone, a passport with valuable personal documents, and more or less P200,000 cash.
Alihuddin handed the bag to a Police Airport Security Unit duty officer, who assisted her in returning the bag to its rightful owner.
“The passenger gave Alihuddin P3,000 cash as an early Christmas gift and thanked her,” said Apolonio.
Apolonio said CAAP Area Center 9 manager Antonio Alfonso has initiated to give Villanueva and Alihuddin a certificate of special recognition during the airport’s coming Christmas party.
