Man loses ₱8,000 at One Ayala ATM, leaves handwritten plea for its return

He urges the finder to return the money, offering his gratitude in advance.

A handwritten note posted near an ATM at One Ayala in Makati City has gone viral after a man appealed for the return of ₱8,000 he allegedly lost when he walked away from a cash machine before collecting his money.

The note, bearing the name John Robert Gonzales, was discovered by Threads user @latagawsierich, who shared photographs of it on social media. The post has attracted more than 156,000 views, drawing sympathy and sparking discussions about delayed ATM cash dispensing.

According to Gonzales’ account, the incident happened on October 9, 2026, between 10:20 PM and 10:30 PM, after he attempted to withdraw ₱8,000 from a BPI ATM at One Ayala.

Gonzales claimed the machine initially failed to dispense his cash, prompting him to leave. However, the money allegedly came out shortly afterward and was collected by another person.

In a separate Facebook post shared by another netizen, Gonzales claimed that CCTV footage captured the person taking the money, although the individual’s face could not be clearly identified.

A plea for honesty

In his handwritten message, Gonzales appealed to whoever recovered the cash to return it, expressing his gratitude in advance.

The Threads user who discovered the note acknowledged that the circumstances could not be independently verified but hoped the person who obtained the money would do the right thing.

The post prompted other Filipinos to share similar experiences involving ATMs that dispensed money several minutes after a transaction appeared unsuccessful.

One commenter claimed to have waited approximately five minutes for cash to emerge from an ATM. Another recalled almost losing money after walking away, only to be alerted by another customer.

What the law says

Under Article 719 of the Civil Code, anyone who finds lost personal property must return it to its previous possessor. If the owner is unknown, the finder must turn it over to the mayor of the city or municipality where it was found.

Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code also recognizes theft through the failure to return lost property, subject to the circumstances of the case.

However, whether a criminal offense occurred in this incident would depend on evidence establishing that another person knowingly took and kept the money without lawful authority.

Gonzales’ allegations have not been independently verified, and no official findings from the bank or authorities were available in the material shared online.

For now, the handwritten note remains a public appeal for honesty—and a reminder that ₱8,000 left behind at an ATM could represent days or weeks of hard work for the person who lost it.

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