Beyond the Phone: A Story of Integrity

 

Six years ago today, I was reminded of the story of our experience with a stranger. It was a night full of anxiety and about values that truly matter.

One night, my sister lost her phone and she was freaking out badly. She kept tracing back to where she might have left the phone. It could either be at karenderya or in the jeepney she rode going home.

Persistently, she kept calling her phone number, hoping someone would finally answer. After many attempts, no one answered. It just kept on ringing.

Both of us were just sitting there, eating chichiria, while she entertained herself scrolling through my phone, hoping for the loss not to sink in. She was not just sad about the value of the phone itself – because it wasn’t expensive at all – but about its content: the memories saved, the contacts, documents, music, and more. It was also about the time she had spent taking care of it for about two years.

Once again, she dialed her phone number. And I was like "Stop it already, you’re just draining its battery." 

 

"Hello?" 

 

a woman answered.

My sister nearly jumped with excitement as she received instructions on how to retrieve her phone because the woman she spoke with was willing to return it.

We went to their house and learned that it was the woman's son who had found the phone and was excited because he thought he finally had a phone. And guess what, he was able to figure out my sister’s lock pattern – it’s really easy, though!

The father told his child, "Unless the owner calls, you can keep it. But since the owner has called, you can't keep it, because it's never yours." The mother agreed.

I was touched by the family's values, especially the discipline the parents instilled in their children.

We also learned that the whole family is God-fearing (I could see it in their smiles), and I was truly inspired.

Despite the boy being a little disappointed, still he managed to hand the phone to my feeling-sorry sister, saying, "It's okay Ate." and smiled. This kid is still in Grade 5.

We thank them profusely, not just for returning the phone but for the inspiration we found in their family. Truly, they will be blessed!

Photo taken in January 2019; Edited by Roy Nikko Permaci

Integrity doesn’t just mean being honest; it is the state of being complete or whole – as defined by Merriam-Webster. It’s about holding firm to your principles, even when material things or finances are lacking, and prioritizing what you know is the right thing to do. It’s about saying no to crooked decisions and living the life you have, no matter how simple it may be, as long as your heart is pure and free from guilt.

PS: It took us an hour or two to search and walk across Boulevard because we couldn’t locate their address and couldn’t contact them. It was so dumb on our part that we only had Ate’s first name, as we were unsure of her last name.

 

PPS: The phone is still in use as of January 2025, though it's starting to lag a bit. Hard to believe it's still going strong—it’s a Samsung!