Ens. Phillip Andrew A. Pestaño Website

A Little Bit of Honesty Goes a Long Way

A Little Bit of Honesty Goes a Long Way
by Liana Kathleen Smith-Bautista

A store in which profit is reliant on the integrity of its customers—many would say this is an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, the first Honesty Store opened at 11:30 am on Friday, August 1, 2008 at the basement of Ateneo de Manila University’s Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership. The store is sponsored by the Dare It Forward project of the Ateneo Student Leaders Assembly (ASLA) and the Ens. Phillip Andrew A. Pestaño Foundation. Moreover, Ateneo will be sponsoring the placement of three more Honesty Stores in its dormitory buildings this year.

But what, you might ask, are the precepts of the Honesty Store? A shelf containing a variety of goodies, such as chocolates and candies, is placed in a school building. Each item has a corresponding price that is clearly listed where the items are displayed, and customers will have to place their money in the cash box secured inside the shelf. No attendant will be present to take customers’ money, make change, or make sure that the items are paid for.

The Honesty Store’s earnings relies completely on the honesty of its customers. Its purpose is simple: to encourage Filipino youth to take responsibility for their own actions, to act with honesty and good faith, even when there is no one around to ensure that they do so.

The Honesty Store is a project of the Ens. Phillip Andrew A. Pestaño Foundation, and the proceeds will be used to aid in covering the cost of education for children of deceased military personnel and fund projects undertaken by the PMA MAALAB Class of 1993 and the Ateneo de Manila High School Class Batch of 1989. The Foundation dedicates its efforts to the memory of Ens. Phillip Pestaño, who practiced in life the integrity that the Honesty Store is trying to instill in its customers, and who taught us in death that honor and integrity are qualities that can never be bought or sold.

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About the Honesty Store : Go to page, or Download Brochure.

Tags: asla, ateneo student leaders assembly, august 1, ens. phillip andrew a. pestano foundation, honesty store