By Laarni Ilagan
BAGUIO CITY,Philippines -For many students, losing money meant for tuition can be a nightmare.
For one Saint Louis University (SLU) student, it could have been—but thanks to an honest Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) employee, a crisis was averted.
Melson Cadate, a veteran meter reader who has been with BENECO for 19 years, was on his usual route in the Eagle Crest area of Bakakeng, Baguio City, early morning of August 12 when he spotted a light brown wallet by the roadside.
Initially, Cadate walked past it, assuming the owner would soon return. “I thought maybe someone would come back for it. I didn’t want to touch it right away,” he recalled.
But when he finished his meter reading rounds in the area a couple of hours later and passed by the same spot, the wallet was still there—untouched and unclaimed.
Cadate picked it up and brought it home during lunch. Out of respect and caution, he asked his wife, Cheryl, to check its contents. They discovered the wallet belonged to a young woman, containing a significant amount of cash, along with IDs, credit and ATM cards.
“It felt wrong to go through it myself, so I asked my wife to help,” Cadate said.
Using the student’s identification cards, the couple searched for her on Facebook and sent a message to her account, informing her they had found her wallet and how she could retrieve it.
The owner, a graduating Tourism student from SLU’s Bakakeng campus who requested anonymity, was overwhelmed with relief. She had just returned to Baguio from Isabela province and suspected the wallet fell out after getting off a cab.
“I didn’t even realize I lost it until lunchtime. I turned my apartment upside down looking for it,” she shared. “Then I saw a message from someone at BENECO. I didn’t believe it at first. Naiiyak na ako—I didn’t want my parents to know I lost the money meant for my enrollment and apartment.”
When they met at the BENECO main office along South Drive, the student personally thanked Cadate, who returned the wallet and all its contents intact.
“Pinabuklat ken pinakontak ko ken ni baket tapnu insigida maisubli, ta estudyante piman,” said Cadate in Ilocano. “We realized she came all the way from Isabela idi napukaw na, kaasi met diay ubing.”
Cadate, 45, is also a father of four. His eldest is a first-year student at SLU’s main campus, giving him an even deeper understanding of the student’s situation.
He is one of BENECO’s 37 regular meter readers, quietly doing his rounds with integrity and a sense of service. His actions have since inspired co-workers and community members alike.
This is his second time to return valuables he found while doing his job as a meter reader. Last Summer, he also returned a Samsung cellular phone, according to Grace Bautista, one of the security guards of BENECO whom he entrusted the phone for the owner to claim at a later date.
“Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching,” Melchor Licoben always remind BENECO employees. “And Mr. Cadate did just that.” (LSI)
