Tags: Inspirational Stories
By Marjorie Gorospe
PASIG, CITY—METRO MANILA— Life is never easy for a taxi driver who tries to provide proper education for his children. But that serves no reason for Primitivo Salo to take advantage of passengers who leave their valuables inside his cab.
The 48-year-old Salo, also known as “Mang Istib”, drives a taxi owned by his neighbor everyday (except for Thursdays and Sundays due to “color coding”) from five o’clock in the morning.
Don’t be dissuaded by his old-looking cab; he is definitely the cabbie you would want to take you anywhere you like.
In 2008, someone left a wallet in his cab containing dollars worth more than 80,000 pesos. It could have been more than enough to tide his family for months, pay for his childrens’ tuition fees or start a small business.
“It was not the first time someone left something valuable in my cab. The amount was big so I discussed it with my family and we made sure it was returned to its rightful owner,” Mang Istib said in Filipino.
He says that whenever he sees wallets or valuable left in his car, the first thought in his mind is that it could have been used for a greater cause.
“After our family discussed about it, I went to GMA-7 and asked for television anchor Mike Enriquez to help me reach the owner of the money,” he recalls.
In 2009, his kindness was recognized at the Goodyear “Bayani ng Kalsada” (Highway Heroes) along with other outstanding taxi drivers. A certificate of recognition is proudly displayed in his cab.
His wife, Josephine, admits that life is difficult for them as parents since both of them only finished elementary. “But that’s not reason enough for us to be interested in something that is not ours. We keep our faith in God,” she says.
Their son Jordan also feels blessed and proud to have parents who have instilled in him the value of honesty and integrity.
“I’m proud of my father. I know I can raise my own family the same way someday,” he says.
His father, meanwhile, vows to continue being a good Samaritan and set an example to his fellow taxi drivers. “If we all do a little act of kindness, we can surely progress as a nation with integrity,” he says.
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