Honesty is still the best policy
Sanny in his Romac uniform
Sanny Yabillo's financial needs didn't hinder him from returning what's not his
"I dream that my children would finish their studies and earn degrees. I am so blessed to have them because they are very dedicated"
Sanny Yabillo, 38, earns a living as part of the workforce of Romac Group, an agency that offers janitorial services to companies here in Iloilo City.
He works full time at the foodcourt area of Marymart Mall. In the morning, he washes dishes and cleans the dining area. "I mop the floor, wipe the tables and arrange the chairs," he said.
Then one day, he saw a nicely folded blue envelope on the table. Thinking that it wasn't trash, he opened it and saw pictures of cars and P30,000 in 1,000 denomination.
This is not the first time that Sanny has found something valuable in his work. Everytime he finds one, he endorses it to the company.
After seeing the money, he looked for Noli Sapalo, the supervisor, to report the incident. "My heart was beating fast. But it never crossed my mind to keep the money," he said.
Sanny with his daughter and wife
After endorsing the money, Sanny returned to work and didn't tell anybody after he was advised to keep quiet about it because many would come and claim it. After 30 minutes, he saw men making inquiries about the money, thus he escorted them to the main office. The mall management investigated Jack Tanaleon, who said he owns the money. He added that the money is owned by a foundation that will use it to purchase a set of computers for the pediatric ward of West Visayas State University Medical Center. Tanaleon expressed gratitude for the money's return.
Sanny said that at that time, he was also in need of money. 'My older son is already in college and I need to buy him school supplies," he said.
However, his financial need hasn't hindered him from doing the right thing. This gesture of honesty gained him popularity and admiration.
Sanny is part of a low income family in Antique and the eighth child among 10 children. He works hard to help his family.
The recognition to Sanny Yabilo
He is also a devoted husband and provider to his wife and children. He is married to Marites Yabillo and their children are Shanny Marie, 18; Sharmie Isanny, 15; Shana Aiza, 14; Shaira Lou, 12; Janzhen, 8; and Janzhord, 1. They live at Zone 2 Calaparan, Arevalo Iloilo City.
Marites is proud and happy after learning of what Sanny did. She learned about this from The Filipino Channel (TFC) for she works in Kuwait.
With her away, Sanny serves as a mother and father to their children. He wakes up early in the morning to prepare their breakfast and clothes. At 10 in the morning, he leaves the house to report for work. "I let my neighbor look after my youngest son while I work," he said.
I dream that my children would finish their studies and earn degrees. I am so blessed to have them because they are very dedicated," he said.