Ruffa Gutierrez will give cab driver Ariel Dalangin a 'tight hug, a big kiss & a confidential cash reward for being a man of integrity'

MANILA, Philippines  - Ruffa Gutierrez’s plea to have her six pairs of shoes returned after her assistant forgot them in a cab did not go unanswered as the taxi driver who found them turned them over to DZMM’s “Aksyon Ngayon” on July 19.

In a report by “TV Patrol,” Gutierrez’ assistant, Jaime Aguilera, shared how he spent sleepless night after accidentally leaving the custom-made shoes inside a cab on July 18.

“Hindi ako nakatulog. Dasal ako nang dasal. And then nag-isip na ako. Tinawagan ko'ng friends ko. May lupa ako, ibebenta ko na lang para mabayaran ‘yung shoes,” Aguilera said.

The cab driver, Ariel Dalangin, had no idea that the pairs of shoes belonged to Gutierrez.

“Ang nasa isip ko talaga siguro nagnenegosyo ‘yung may-ari, wholesale. Kung mawala... Eh, ang hirap kumita ng pera ngayon. Alam ko naman ‘yon, eh,” Dalangin said.  “Basta ang mahalaga sa akin, maisoli sa may-ari.”

Gutierrez tweeted July 18 that she will reward whoever returns her missing shoes.

“To all the AM/FM Radio Announcers & DJ's pls announce that whoever returns my shoes will receive a tight hug, a huge kiss, cash prize & a live guesting! Bongga, diba?? Kaya pls isauli nyo na po! RT,” the actress-TV host tweeted.

“Okay sa akin ‘yon para makita lang ng anak ko,” Dalangin said of Gutierrez's offer.

According to the “TV Patrol” report, it was not the first time that Dalangin returned missing valuable items left in his cab.

On July 18, Gutierrez posted a series of tweets after she learned from her assistant that the six pairs of shoes, reportedly worth P400,000, had been left inside a cab.

“Nanawagan ako sa taxi driver na sumibat tangay ang anim kong sapatos na naiwan ng bading kong assistant sa Pasong Tamo Extension, tabi ng PS Bank,” she posted on Twitter.

This was followed by another tweet wherein she gave instructions where to return her shoes to whoever found them.

“Mr. Taxi Driver or susunod na pasaherong makahanap ng 6 pairs of shoes pakisauli nalang po sa Imperial Palace Hotel front desk sa Tomas Morato, QC or tumawag sa 09166840246.”

She also requested her followers to re-tweet her message.

“Can you pls RT my panawagans to Mr. Taxi Driver or announce it on the radio? Baka sakaling mabuti ang puso niya at isauli kung aking brand new size 10 shoes!”

Before the pairs of shoes were returned to the DZMM office, Gutierrez seemed exasperated and resigned to the fact that it will no longer be returned to her.

“The future of finding my 6 pairs of 6-inch stilettos is bleak. Sana nakatulong ako sa nakakuha para tumangkad siya ng konti!” she tweeted.

A day after, July 19, Gutierrez took to Twitter to announce that her missing shoes had been found.

“OMG!!! Good news! There might be a strong chance that my custom-made shoes have been delivered to DZMM! My assistant called happily crying!”

She even asked everyone to tune in to DZMM.

“PLEASE listen to DZMM now na! Mr. Taxi Driver & his wife sent my 6 pairs of shoes not even knowing it was mine. Thank GOD for honest people!"

Gutierrez expressed her gratitude to and heaped praises on the driver who returned her missing shoes.

“My missing shoes were returned to DZMM by Mr. Ariel, the honorable taxi driver with a clean conscience. Mabuhay ang mabuting PILIPINO!”

“Tularan natin si Mr. Ariel, the good samaritan who returned my 6 pairs of shoes without him reading my tweets & knowing it was me.”

And as promised, Gutierrez will give Dalangin “a  tight hug, a big kiss & a confidential cash reward for being a man of integrity” when she meets him at DZMM on July 20.