Had it not been for the 80-year-old man accused of stealing 10 pieces of mango from a farm in Asingan, Pangasinan, we wouldn’t have known that the season of our all-time favorite fruit has arrived.

But, more than that delicious discovery, it was the realization on the ground that despite the hard times we live in, people still do care about other people, especially those in distress. And that compassion has not been lost on the Filipino, even in the time of pandemic.

Upon hearing on social media about Lolo Narding’s predicament, public figures had been quick on the draw to offer help.

Kim Atienza offered to pay for his bail and provide legal services.

Actresses Ryza Cenon and Rabiya Mateo sent help, along with many other kind-hearted netizens.

Wendell Ramos did the next best thing. The veteran actor paid Lolo Narding a visit, bought him an entire livelihood package, courtesy of his own business, @wendeli_meathouse.

The package came with boxes of glistening, ripe mangoes that the old man could sell, apart from other items of value, packed into a colorful food cart that even carried his name.

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Leonardo Floro was accused of stealing mangoes by a neighboring farm, which sent him to jail.

According to reports, the old man was arrested through a warrant issued by the 7th Municipal Trial Court (MCTC) of Asingan on Dec. 20, 2021.

Floro said he tried to settle with his neighbor, offering to pay for the mangoes.

He was told to post a P6,000 bail instead, which he did. He’s now a free man, but the case is still pending.

In a related story, Lolo Narding narrated that it was he who planted those mango trees. But, when the owners fenced off the property, he lost access to them.

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This scenario is quite common in the provinces, and I must say I know this only too well, having been a farm boy during my childhood.

People plant fruit-bearing trees in and around their property. Someone buys the lot next to them, fences the whole area, and the person who planted those trees lose them altogether. In their heart, they feel an affinity to those trees, something akin to ownership.

Reminds me of the time I bought a farm lot in my hometown. The yard had some lanzones trees that bore fruit every summer.

Every day at sunrise, we marveled at the lanzones fruit that grew in beautiful clusters. We awaited the time they would ripen, and we could sink our teeth into their sweet flesh.

The fruits finally matured around September. We spent the night at the farm, full of excitement to harvest our lanzones in the morning.

How shocked we were as soon as we woke up. Most of the fruits had been picked the night we slept.

A neighbor whispered to us that Cardo, who was caretaker of that property before we acquired it, helped himself to the harvest.

Cardo probably felt he also owned the trees somehow. He planted them, he told the neighbors.

And that’s probably how Lolo Narding similarly felt about those 10 pieces of mango, and how he was so moved to pick them.