Neighbor drops ‘mango theft’ case vs grandpa

ALL IS WELL Leonardo Flores, 84, shown here with his lawyer, James Fernandez, after his arraignment on Tuesday, is relieved that the case filed against him by his neighbor over a dispute involving mangoes, has been withdrawn. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLIC ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

DAGUPAN CITY—The 84-year-old man accused of stealing mangoes from a neighbor’s tree in Pangasinan province appeared in court on Tuesday for his arraignment and begged for forgiveness from the complainant, hoping to end their legal tussle.

Leonardo Flores, a resident of Barangay Bantog in Asingan town, then turned emotional when Robert Hong, 52, readily dropped the theft case, settling the issue that has come under public scrutiny, said Flores’ counsel, James Fernandez of the Public Attorney’s Office.

While pleading not guilty during the arraignment, Flores, known as “Lolo Narding,” issued his apology to Hong and promised not to harvest fruits from the tree inside the latter’s yard.

In a telephone interview on Thursday, Fernandez said Hong accepted the apology and issued an affidavit of desistance, “voluntarily withdrawing the case without force or intimidation.”

“[Flores] was tearful because the case was finally closed. Hong appeared relieved as well,” Fernandez said, noting that the case’s resolution meant they could return to their normal lives.

“Due to the pandemic, there was no handshake or other physical show of gratitude between the two. But it was obvious that they were already OK with each other,” Fernandez said.

The case stemmed from Hong’s allegations that Flores stole 10 crates of mangoes worth P12,000 in April last year.

Hong, a truck driver and quarry worker, insisted that the tree stood on his property enclosed by a concrete fence.

Fernandez, in an earlier interview, said Flores maintained that he and his family owned the tree and that he sold 10 kilos of fruits to a wholesale buyer who promised to pay him P1,000.

‘Duped’

But Flores said he was duped after the buyer harvested all the fruits from the tree and paid him only P600.

Records from the Bantog village council showed that three meetings were held to resolve the neighbors’ dispute.

Flores, during those meetings, said he was “forced into this situation” and that he would not do it again, repeatedly asking for Hong’s forgiveness.

Hong wanted Flores to pay P10,000 for the mangoes, but Flores said he could not provide the amount because he had received only P600 from the buyer.

When the case was not resolved at the barangay level, Hong decided to sue Flores for theft and trespassing in the 7th Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Asingan-San Manuel on May 13 last year.

Arrest warrant

It was only on Jan. 13 this year when the Asingan police served the court-issued arrest warrant on Flores. He was held at the police station but was released after a week when his P6,000 bail was raised by donors, among them local policemen.

Flores’ case went viral on social media after a mug shot, accompanied by a brief description of his plight, was posted on Facebook by Asingan information officer Rommel Aguilar.

It elicited mixed reactions but most netizens described it as “social injustice,” even comparing it with the case of former first lady Imelda Marcos, 92, who was never detained despite being convicted for graft in 2018.

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