Mang Gusting quietly picked up his old bag.
“Do you really think I’m here because I don’t have money?” he asked.
“I’m here waiting for my driver.
Our car broke down at the corner, so I’m resting here while he fixes it.”
“DRIVER?” Jeric laughed.
“HAHAHA! YOU’RE DREAMING, OLD MAN!”
Slowly, Mang Gusting opened the bag.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
Inside the dirty bag were THICK BUNDLES OF BLUE BILLS—₱1,000 NOTES.
Neatly stacked.
Organized.
Many of them.
Almost half a million pesos in total.
Mang Gusting had just sold land in the province.
He came from the bank.
The money was for buying a tractor and farm equipment.
He dressed simply on purpose, so he wouldn’t become a target for criminals.
But the vlogger had chosen the wrong person to mess with.
Jeric’s eyes widened.
His breathing stopped.
The camera was still on.
Mang Gusting took one bundle.
₱100,000.
He showed it to Jeric.
“Son,” he said,
“what you’re flaunting to me is just loose change.”
Mang Gusting picked up the twenty-peso coins.
Then he took ₱2,000 from his own money and handed it to Jeric.
“Here,” he said.
“YOU CAN HAVE IT.
Including your coins.”
Jeric turned pale.
“S-sir? W-why?”
Mang Gusting smiled.
There was pity in it.
“Because it looks like you need it more,” he said.
“That might not even be enough to buy data so you can upload your video.
Looks like VIEWS are what fill your stomach, not dignity.”
Suddenly, people began clapping.
“BOOOOM! ROASTED!” shouted a bystander.
Jeric was utterly humiliated.
He turned off the camera.
He ran away.
He even left the money behind.
Moments later, a luxury SUV stopped in front of the church.
The driver got out.
“DON GUSTING! THE CAR IS FIXED!
LET’S GO TO THE FARM!”
Mang Gusting stood up.
Shook the dust off his shirt.
Picked up the bag full of money.
And got into the air-conditioned vehicle.
A video of the incident—captured by a bystander—went viral.
But it wasn’t Jeric who became famous.
It was MANG GUSTING’S LESSON:
That true wealth is not measured by what you show on social media,
but by who you are
when the camera is already turned off.