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| Photo credit to News 5 |
Have you heard of the story from
Asingan, Pangasinan, Philippines, where an 80-year-old
grandfather was arrested for picking mangoes?
Lolo
Narding claimed
that the tree which he picked about 10 kilos of mangoes was his tree. The old
man said he had planted and grown the mango tree in Barangay Bantog until after
some time their neighbor decided to put a fence that included the mango tree.
Notably, Lolo Narding's action wasn't received well by the neighbor because
instead of accepting the payment that he offered the owner preferred that Lolo
Narding pay the P6,0000 and be jailed.
I cannot imagine what is in the
mind of Lolo
Narding's neighbor that they rather see him in jail than settle the issue quietly.
And what has happened to the Barangay Officials of Barangay Bantog? Is this case
not supposed to go through first the attention of the Barangay Peace and Order
Council in charge of settling disputes among barangay residents before it
reaches any court including the 7th
Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) of Asingan-San Manuel last December 20?
Obviously, there is power play
here. Imagine an 80-year-old man sent to jail in a week? Is it really that hard
to bridge communication and camaraderie that one would rather use the power of
the law to stress a point?
As a believer of the power of the
almighty, I often say that on matters man has no control of--God lifts His hand to take
charge of everything. And so is in the case of Lolo Narding. Thus, I believe Karma is
taking charge and
covering up for the mistreatment he received. I don't say that Lolo Narding's
action is just but this was supposed to be a minor problem amongst neighbors,
yet it escalated and has now become a social issue.
But look now, Lolo Narding has overwhelmingly earned the support and sympathy from people who were touched by this story. Currently, Lolo Narding Flores was out of jail following the Bayanihan and the outpouring reinforcement of people from Asingan, Metro Manila, and internationally including the members of the Asingan Police and the provincial Public Assistance Office (PAO). However, let us not forget the good lesson that could be learned from this story. Reflect and perhaps you can ask yourself, does your ethical value conform with the rule of law?