The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) commended for honesty an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia who did not withdraw a huge amount of money erroneously credited to her account but instead informed the bank of the error.


Some 10 million Saudi riyals (around US$2.6 million or more than R150 million) were mistakenly credited to the account of Filipino nurse Melitza Anne Chan, 27, of Mandurriao, Iloilo, who works as assistant chief at the dental department of the Marabi Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"The entire Filipino nation, and specially the nearly eight million Filipino migrant workers worldwide, are truly proud of your honest deed," Labor Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas said in commending Chan.

"Your honesty gives tremendous honor to OFWs, validating their innate honesty, quality, trustworthiness, and reliability in the global economy," she said. "Indeed, this overseas Filipino worker resolutely chose not to touch the huge sum misdeposited in her bank account and instead, wasted no time in informing the concerned bank, thus, preventing crime, financial damage, and embarrassment. This is a matter worthy of the honor and the emulation of all Filipino workers."

Labor Attaché Bulyok S. Nilong, who heads the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah, apprised Sto. Tomas that Chan had first discovered the SR10 million in her account while applying for a visa to the United Kingdom.

Bulyok said Chan rushed back to the Saudi Hollande Bank in Jeddah to inform the bank and demanded a "true statement of account."

He said the erroneous entry of the SR 10 million in Chan’s account was traced to a typographical error in the bank. The bank had credited the amount on February 2005 but had not detected it until informed by Chan.

Chan herself found out about it only after the UK Consulate in Jeddah refused to accept her account statement due to the "huge amount."

Bulyok said the POLO and the Philippine consulate in Jeddah duly acknowledged Chan’s honest deed.

He said Philippine Consul General Pendosina Lomondot invited her personally to the consulate to acknowledge her honest deed in the presence of Philippine officials.

Bulyok said that Chan’s employer, the Marabi hospital, also commended the integrity and honesty of the Filipino nurse.