‘Baguio girl’ cited for returning 1,000 dollars

By Paul Rillorta

BAGUIO CITY -- A Baguio girl has been honored by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for returning 1,000.00 US dollars to its rightful owner last week.

Newly hired Immigration Officer Gianne Kryz Wahayna, a native of this mountain resort was cited by BI Officer-in-charge Siegfred Mison September 15 for her honesty and was given a certificate of commendation.

Wahayna has been hired by the BI only in January along with sixty other BI - Batch 9 trainees for Immigration Officer 1.

She underwent training for 3 months on Basic Immigration Officers Course and has been deployed last April at the NAIA Terminal 2, Immigration departure area.

Last Sept. 11 during her tour of duty, Wahayna noticed that one of the passengers of a Philippine Airlines flight for Washington, USA via Toronto, Canada left the cover of his passport after she processed his papers on her counter.

The passport cover contained 1,000.00 US dollars and an electronic boarding ticket.

Wahayna immediately tried to locate the owner and even asked the airlines to page him.

After awhile, the owner, former Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Chief Guillermo Parayno, Jr. came and she immediately handed to him the passport cover containing the electronic ticket and his money.

Wahayna said, ‘she just did what was supposed to be done being a public servant.’

Wahayna is a registered nurse who graduated at the Benguet State University and the eldest daughter of Esther Pablo Wahayna, a city government employee working at the city library.

Meantime, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said, Wahayna has brought pride and honor to the city as she manifested a very commendable deed exemplifying a true resident of a character city.