Honest Baguio City taxi driver gets scholarship

MANILA, Philippines – A taxi driver in Baguio City has proven yet again that honesty is the best policy after getting a scholarship to a coding school as a reward for returning a passenger’s belongings.

Australian national Trent Shields, who was in the Philippines for a business trip, left his luggage inside Regie Cabututan’s taxi on January 21. 

Ace Estrada II, Shield’s business partner, initially shared what happened in a Facebook post that has gone viral.

According to him, Shields was in a hurry that he forgot his luggage. Estrada was just about to accompany him to a police station to file a report, but Reggie’s taxi suddenly returned with the luggage.

“What an awesome win for humanity! Mr Reggie Cabututan, driver of Dustin Brant Taxi, you are the finest of your tribe. I have never felt more proud to be Filipino than today,” Estrada said in his post.

After initial reports said that the luggage contained money, however, Shields clarified in a Facebook post that it only had his Macbook Pro, passport, and an expensive pair of headphones. The bag’s contests is valued at around 7,000 Australian dollars (P263,881). 

Shields said the value of his possessions should not be the focus of attention. “The real story should be focused on his integrity,” he wrote.

The Baguio City government recognized the 30-year-old driver during its flag ceremony on Monday, January 24. When he learned about the awarding ceremony, Shields cancelled his flight to Cebu to attend the event.

Shields happened to be the Academic Director of CoderFactory, a school that teaches software development, and offered Cabututan a full scholarship to one of their bootcamps worth around P220,000. Cabututan has accepted the offer.

Shields also promised the cab driver an internship with an Australian company, with the opportunity for full employment. – Enrico Belga/Rappler.com

Enrico Belga is a Rappler intern.

1 AUD = P37.6893