"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”(Luke 6:10). This is a biblical principle that we all try to follow. Even apart from the spiritual context, people teach this principle to children to mold them into becoming responsible and trustworthy citizens when they grow up.
In the early evening newscast on GMA News (TV) by correspondent Cara David, I have been amazed about the subject matter of her report- “Honesty Store”: a Store without a Keeper. The principle is that people can purchase from these stores small items like biscuits, then they would put their payment in a moneybox. If they have a change, they can get an exact change from the moneybox itself. Nobody attends to the customers so all transaction would only be based on trust. Nobody guards your transactions but your conscience.
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| Bobbit Gonzalez |
The owner of the store is Bobbit Gonzalez, an overseas Filipino worker in the US who has returned to the country. He believes that by putting up honesty stores, we can promote honesty most especially to children. He does not want to look on the negative side or the risk of “cheats” this endeavor but on the positive effect of promoting honesty to all individuals.
He has two Honesty Stores right now in Navotas City (Philippines, my hometown). One at the Navotas City Hall and another at San Jose Academy, a private school in the same city (my Alma Mater).
I have first heard of an Honesty Store in the northernmost island province of the Philippines, Batanes. It runs on the same principle. I just hope Honesty Stores spread to prove that people could show that being “trustworthy” is not a long forgotten human ethic. This effort by Mr. Bobbit Gonzalez is truly amazing.
The video below shows the GMA News report although it is in Filipino:
Sana hindi malugi yung Honesty stores nya, it will give us something to be inspired about if they succeed. That there are still honest people out there.
ReplyDeletevery unique store. proud to be a navoteño!
ReplyDeleteHello Vera, I really hope the honesty store flourishes... May pag-asa pa ang katapatan... :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Carina, thanks for visiting again. You're a Navoteno too?
ReplyDeleteFirst time to see your add. The moment I read your post in the forum that you have started it already, the hunt goes on. It was not that long before I found it.
ReplyDeleteThe honesty store is a good start. It is just a matter of discipline and once you get used of it it would just be a routine and normal happenings.
Hello Sir Rob, thanks for visiting again. My ad image is the dog with a heart! Hehe... I hope the result would be favorable.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if many people will believe in the principle, more people can put up honesty stores.
I became your daily ad clicker..!! lol
ReplyDeleteIndeed, a good initiative though it will take time, longer time in many sense.
@sir rob, nice to know that you visit regularly... hehe... I hope it won't be very long... :-)
ReplyDeleteI will be hypocrite @Arnel if I didn't say that considering the economic status of our country and the current mindset of a lot in slum areas.
ReplyDelete@sir rob, I guess you're right. Considering the mindset of many people who finds excuse in poverty to steal and cheat, honesty stores may not fully flourish. Perhaps, the idea of putting in schools is good to teach young minds the virtue of honesty.
ReplyDeleteyou're from navotas and you hailed from san jose? what batch?
ReplyDelete@unknown specimen, Technically, I belong to SnJA Batch '89.
ReplyDelete