MILDRED Perez, 38, a mother of 2 and a native of Brgy. Aliaga, Bambang, Nueva Viscaya, left her home and loved ones for Hong Kong with rosy promises for their future. In Hong Kong she was employed as maid by a Pastor who in 2007 sexually abused her. She sued the Pastor- her sex assailant -in court. By so doing, Mildred lost her job and was forbidden to look for any because Hong Kong laws barred complainants from taking up employment.

Mildred family back home suffered financial setbacks. Her children had to stop schooling. They ran short of money for tuition and other school expenses. Mildred failed to send money home. She was already jobless. Her father- a farmer and barangay official took to drinking liquors when he learned of her unfortunate fate. Courageous and resilient, Mildred is not one to easily succumb to defeat and frustrations. She must be innovative and do things to stave off hunger as well as to earn money for the renewal of her visa. She could not rely much help from a kapatid [brother or sister] who's likewise working in Hong Kong because he/she also has a family to support with.

So Mildred had to rummaged trash bins to collect and sell recyclables like cannisters, cardboard boxes, etc. At times, she would peddle and try to sell used clothings. Much to her desire, she had to go on scavenging trash bins for valuables because of the need to renew her visa and the necessity to wait for the final settlement of her case with the Pastor.

One Wednesday, last April 29 while she and her companion- David- were rummaging the trash bins along the corner of Pottenger St. and Des Voeux Road, Mildred noticed something unusual inside one of the bins. It was a packet a little bigger than a mailing envelope. She picked up the packet and handed it to David for him to open. They couldn't believe their eyes. When opened, the packet revealed cash and checks Upon counting, the cash and checks totaled HK$350.545 [Hong Kong dollars] or P2.1M [Philippine Pesos].

The finders didn't tarry. They went to the Hong Kong Information Center to report their findings. On the day following- April 30- at an appointed place and time, the finders and the losers met for the first time. Kitty is an ordinary employee of a company who lost possession of the packet of money on her way to the bank to deposit it. With her was her superior- Yvonne Tsang- the real owner of the lost money. Mildred handed over the packet of money to Yvonne. After the handover and exchanges of pleasantries, Yvonne gifted Mildred a can of butter cookies.