MANILA - A struggling chemical engineering graduate from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) badly needed P500 to pay for his university records when he found a bag containing P34,000.

Vince Luiz Cruz was about to pay for his transcript of records, a Professional Regulation Commission requirement for board exams, when he realized his money was short of P500.

Then he noticed an unattended bag. When Cruz opened the bag, he saw numerous P1,000 bills.

While he was tempted to take the money, he simply knew he could not let greed take over.

“I don't want to fail my parents. I came from a poor family. My parents were both shoemakers and I studied in UST as scholar,” he told ABS-CBN News.

“I might not be the most intelligent student UST could have but I always look forward to becoming a better person every day for my family, friends and especially in front of God. In our everyday life if you cannot make God happy, don't do it,” he added.

Cruz took the bag and told security guards to inform him in case the owner will look for their missing possession.

“It does not mean that I trusted priests more than the security personnel. It's just that I know the protocol for [a] priest that if no one claims the money then they will send it to charities,” he said.

Cruz then went to the university chapel and entrusted the money to priest Jeff Aytona.

The official Facebook page of UST said a student came forward the next day and claimed the money. It said the student was going to pay for his tuition when he misplaced the money.

And in what seemed to be his good karma, Cruz said he got his transcript of records for free.

“I could have just taken the 34,000 pesos and [buy] school supplies, a new cellphone, etc., but that was not UST taught me,” he said.