The firm had allegedly lured some 17,000 folk to invest P33,920 for each mango tree they would plant in a farm in Barangay Paysawan in Bagac, Bataan. After five years, each investor would get P30,000 for each mango tree per year for the next 50 years, it promised investors.
“Everything was so convincing because we were invited to the site where candidates for Miss Earth even engaged in tree planting in 2005,” recalled Lito Ong, a businessman from this city who invested on several mango trees promised by Good Harvest.
Danilo Navera of Mexico, Pampanga, who also invested over P100,000 on the supposed mango trees, noted in his complaint that during the third anniversary of Good Harvest in 2005, the firm even held a party at the Fontana Resort at Clark freeport, with a well-known television personality as host.
Ong said that after five years of waiting for their alleged mango tree to yield fruit, Golden Harvest personnel became scarce and even its office at 1006 Richemonde Plaza at San Miguel Ave. in Ortigas Center in Pasig City has already closed.
He said persons behind Good Harvest could have amassed hundreds of millions from their supposed investors, some of whom invested heavily on the supposed mango tree farm project.
Ong said he and 39 others who have filed cases against Good Harvest have been urging other victims, estimated to number about 17,000, to also file cases. The complainants so far have filed separate cases before various venues, including the Task Force Business Scam of the Department of Justice.
Navera said he had invested most of his retirement pay on the Good Harvest project.
“They explained to us that they would put a reference number on each tree so the ownership of the tree could be traced. They said that even if our tree did not bear fruit, there would be no problem since there would be communal sharing of profits,” he recalled in his complaint filed with the Task Force Business Scam.
He also said Good Harvest assured him of “no less” in the venture as “they would also plant sweet tamarind, santol, opo grande and native kangkong in the area.”
“They also said the mango trees would be taken care of by no other than the so-called Father of Philippine Mango, Antonio Rola,” he also recalled.
The separately filed complaints had common respondents identified as Rafael W. Lopez, John Rafael E. Lopez, Adoracion Lopez, Conrado Padilla, Jaime Santiago, Reynaldo Abella, Henry Reyes, Floyd Ferare, Gilbert Mendoza,
Willie Terrado, Edmund Lisondra, Froilan Leonardo, Antholy Raymond Abadilla, Josefina Pillarina, Wilma Siason, Elbert Aquino, Richard Dalao, Antonio Rola, Adelina Baile, Benjie Pazcoguin Jr, Jenny Chug, and Elvira Rellosa.
