Cebu teacher refuses P10,000 reward for child's lost teddy bear

A teacher in Cebu City returned a child's teddy bear but refused the P10,000 reward for her good deed.

GMA 7 news program "24 Oras Weekend" reported on Saturday that Apple Jessica Torres' seven-year-old daughter, Akilah, treated the teddy bear with a missing nose like a best friend.

The Torres' live in the US state of Alaska, and Akilah took the bear with her everywhere and preferred it over all her toys. Which was why she was devastated when they lost it while vacationing in the Philippines last April 16.

"Sobrang iyak po talaga ng anak ko. Ayaw daw niyang makita na magfa-fly ang plane dahil si teddy bear naiwan daw niya. So masakit po sa amin," Apple explained.

The teddy bear reportedly went missing while they were eating at a fast food restaurant in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

On May 1, Apple posted a P10,000 reward for the teddy bear on Facebook.

The huge reward may have attracted a few false claims, but Akila got her "best friend" back within a day.

A teacher who turned up with the bear refused to be identified and refused the money, saying she understood Akilah attachment to the bear because she had kids of her own.

Torres, nevertheless, insisted on some sort of reward, not only for easing Akilah's grief, but also for setting a good example.

"Sobrang thank you po talaga kay ate. Kumbaga, 'yung childhood ng anak ko, ginawa pa niyang mas-memorable pa," Apple gushed.

"Na-prove niya na may mabuti pa talagang tao sa mundo. Na hindi lahat after sa pera. Sobra niya kaming na-touch kaya kahit ayaw niyang magpa-mention niyang name, ayaw niyang ma-viral o ano, isa siyang good example talaga. Lalo sa mga guro, sa mga estudyante nila." — Margaret Clair Layug/DVM, GMA News