The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recognizes the honesty of one of its janitorial staff who found and subsequently returned some amount of money to its rightful owner, Undersecretary for Social Welfare and Development Danilo Pamonag.

Around 10:00am of January 20, Joie was on his way up to the third floor of the DSWD Magiliw Building for an errand when he noticed the money amounting to P7,000 on the stairs.  He picked up the money intending to turn it over to the 3rd floor guard, when he noticed some staff looking around for something.

Joie approached them and mentioned picking up some money on the stairs.  It turned out that they were, indeed, looking for the money which fell from the pocket of Undersecretary Pamonag.

Although Joie has three kids and budget is tight sometimes, he said it never occurred to him to keep the money.  He said that he had already returned a lot of lost things like mobile phones and car keys.

He remarked, “Kikitain din naman natin ‘yan. Mas maganda na ang pera mo ay ‘yong galing sa pinagtrabahuhan mo.  Naniniwala ako na kung kinuha ko ‘yun, mawawala din agad iyon, kaya mas maganda ‘yung pinaghirapan mo” (We can earn that money anyway.  It is best if the money you use is from the fruits of your labor.  I believe that if I kept the money, I would lose it eventually that is why, I would rather work hard to earn it).

Joie, 32, has been with the Department since 2008 and is in charge of maintaining order within the grounds of the DSWD compound.  Part of his work is to ensure cleanliness of the DSWD premises and to care for the gardens.

Undersecretary Pamonag believes that individuals like Joie are truly commendable, choosing to be honest in times of dire needs, especially during this pandemic.

The Undersecretary added that while Joie may not be a regular staff of the Department, he truly embodies the values of honesty and trustworthiness which the Department espouses. ###