MANILA, Philippines — The 80-year-old resident of Asingan town in Pangasinan who was accused of stealing mangoes from a tree he himself planted was temporarily freed on Thursday after several individuals donated funds to pay his bail.
In a video posted by the Asingan Police Station, a police officer told Leonardo “Narding” Flores and his lawyer that the court had granted him temporary freedom after paying P6,000 bail.
Reports earlier said that a councilor from the nearby Villasis town went to the police station to hand over the bail payment, which was given by a family from Canada. However, Asingan police chief Police Major Napoleon Eleccion said that the bail payment had already been covered by someone else.
“Tay, ito na, may order na po ‘yong korte natin na lalabas ka na ngayong araw na ito, so dito namin si Attorney natin, si legal counsel natin na mag-aassist sa inyo. So okay na, nakapag-pirma na rin kayo sa blotter, may mga witness tayo, mga pamangkin niyo,” a police officer told Flores.
(Here it is, the court has ordered for you to come out today. So here we are, our attorney, our legal counsel who will assist you. OK, we have witnesses, you have signed the blotter, and your nephews have testified.)
The case of the 80-year-old Flores, who was arrested for allegedly stealing mangoes from a tree he planted, went viral on social media after netizens noted that other politicians accused of stealing even more money are permitted to roam free.
The complainant supposedly claimed that Flores harvested mangoes from a tree near his property, but the elder insisted that he planted it.
As of posting time, Asingan police’s Facebook page has taken down mugshots of Flores, which were posted on Wednesday.
LOOK: Narding Floro, an 80-year-old man from Asingan, Pangasinan, was arrested on January 13, 2022 for allegedly stealing 10 kg of mangoes. | 📷: PIO Asingan/Facebook pic.twitter.com/bOkxO8m9r6
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) January 19, 2022
READ: Help pours in for octogenarian jailed for ‘stealing’ mangoes in Pangasinan