Cover image via fbcdn.net
Netizen Gideon Lasco posted a photo of a small shanty on top of a mountain — and it has gone viral — but not for its simplicity, but the touching story behind it.
According to Lasco, he is used to losing his mobile phones under different circumstances — to petty thieves, to snatchers, and at one point, underwater. His phone slipped while texting on a boat!
"But there was a time when I thought that my phone was gone, only for me to get it back in a way that helped me appreciate an often-misunderstood part of our country. I was traveling in Maguindanao when, upon returning to Cotabato City, I realized that my phone was gone. At the time, the Maguindanao massacre was still fresh on people's minds and I have to admit that I felt a bit of unease while traveling in the area. In any case, even if the disappearance happened anywhere else in the Philippines, I honestly thought that there was no chance that I could ever get my phone back.
To my surprise, however, my friend and host in Cotabato – Dr. Zhamir Umag- got a text message from my mobile number that night, with someone saying that he had found my phone. "How can I return it?" the sender asked. It turned out that I had left it on the jeepney back to Cotabato, and it was picked up by someone from Buldon, Maguindanao. Zham communicated with the finder and they made arrangements for the phone to be brought back to Cotabato the next time the finder goes to the city.
I was already back in Manila when the phone arrived by courier. When I opened the phone, I saw various pictures that the finder must have taken using the phone. It revealed a mountainous area and a wooden house (like the one in the picture) that must have been the finder's home. Surely, if he had sold the phone, it would have made for a significant sum. The more I looked at the photos – the finder's young kids, his wife, and their village – the more I marveled at the kindness of the finder." -From Lasco's FB
Image via From Lasco's FB
