Australian traveler Trent Shields was travelling in Baguio in the Philippines when he took a taxi ride that would change his life– and the life of his taxi driver– forever.
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It all started about half an hour after Trent had left the cab. That’s when he realized he’d left all of his belongings behind, including his luggage, cash, Macbook Pro, passport and expensive headphones. By the time he realized his mistake, the cab was long gone and Trent couldn’t recall any details of the car.
Meanwhile, the cab driver– named Reggie Cabututan– had realized Trent’s belongings were still in his car and immediately turned around, hoping to find Trent. Miraculously, Reggie found Trent just as he and his friend, Ace, were leaving for the police station to file a report.
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“Never was a sight more welcoming than the smiling face of this driver,” wrote Ace in a Facebook status. “What an awesome win for humanity!”
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Ace posted a status thanking Reggie, and it went viral all over the Philippines. Reggie was invited to City Hall to be recognized in a ceremony by the mayor of Baguio. When Trent heard about the ceremony, he canceled his flight at the last second– as he was already in process of boarding– and drove 6 hours back to Bagiuo in order to attend the celebration.
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Not only did Trent go out of his way to thank Reggie for his integrity, but Trent surprised him with an amazing honor.
It turns out, Trent is the Academic Director at a school that teaches software development. “During the award ceremony, I was lucky to be able to offer a full scholarship for one of our courses with the promise of an internship with an Australian company and the opportunity for it to lead into full employment,” wrote Trent. “Reggie has accepted the scholarship!”
But Trent’s kindness didn’t stop there. He heard that Reggie had been living in an unfinished house with his wife and 4 young children for the past 2 years. So Trent started a GoFundMe so that the family can live in a proper home while Reggie goes to school.
When Reggie decided to return Trent’s belongings, he had no idea this simple show of integrity would change his life!
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