Sapongay, Vergel L.

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CASE NO. 2

A Gift?
Principio D. Makatanggi

Engr. Principio D. Makatanggi was hired by a contractor as a project engineer in a big

construction project. Engr. Principio D. Makatanggi is a man with principle, so he followed
everything in the code provisions even the smallest details and applied it to the design and plan
of the project. The project was done earlier than it is expected on December 20 and profited a net
income of 30 million PHP. The contractor was very happy about the result and how the structure
was built. Four days after, while Engr. Principio was having Noche Buena with his family, a
liaison from his contractor visited his house and gave him a gift- a basket full of fruits that were
sent by his contractor. Unknowingly, under the fruits is an envelope. Without any notice on why
the contractor sent the gift, Engr. Principio went to his room and check what’s on inside. He saw
that inside the envelope was pay to cash cheque worth 40,000 PHP.

If you were Engr. Principio, will you accept the cash or not?

If I were Engr. Principio, I will accept the cash.

Because not accepting a gift from a client can be impolite to them. As a matter of fact, it can do
more damage than you think. It can actually undo some of the progress you’ve made with them
or create new problems where none currently exist. Not receiving gifts can be viewed as a
rejection of that person. The contractor may start to harbor negative feelings toward Engr.
Principio who rejects his or her gift. Gift giving is a wonderful way for your clients to express
their sincere gratitude and we also know that it is Christmas season, so giving in this season is
natural. The contractor might also acknowledge and appreciate my work because the project was
good and finished earlier than it is expected so he gave a gift of cash like a tip or a bonus. Also,
knowingly I did my job well that I followed everything even to the smallest details of the code
specification and applied it to the project.

“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes
out of it.” ―Albert Einstein