Ecija vice gov scores Umali's negative comments vs Joson patriarch

PALAYAN CITY – Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali, who has come under fire from Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Joson for allegedly being insincere in his unity call, has been scored anew by the latter, this time for accusing the Joson family, which ruled the Capitol for 48 years, of “long years of pathetic governance.”

Joson, presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, said Umali’s remarks are a direct affront not only to the administration of his predecessor, former four-term governor Tomas Joson III, but also to the late patriarch, former six-term governor Eduardo Sr.

He said that Umali’s remarks are uncalled for and disdains the legacies of Joson Sr., falling short of proverbially making the latter “turn in his grave.”

“When you say long years of pathetic governance, pati si Tatang idinadamay mo na (you are dragging the name of Tatang. We find this totally unacceptable),” Joson said of his grandfather. Tatang was the nickname of Joson Sr. who was governor for 28 years.

Earlier, Umali said that the province is now facing a lot of problems “brought about by long years of pathetic governance, referring to the Josons.

Joson said the incumbent governor is in no position to accuse the Josons of being pathetic in governing the Capitol. He said the governor should have confined his broadsides to the administration of Tomas III and to go a step further would be trying to portray their clan as not having done anything good.

Answering Umali’s allegations point-by-point, Joson said there was no truth to the latter’s claims of “highly immoral and anomalous transactions” at the Capitol that supposedly include unremitted GSIS and Pag-ibig contributions of employes, non-payment of tuition fees of 6,000 scholars in 33 colleges and universities since 2004; gargantuan cuts in the 2008 budget; the alleged questionable donation in 2007 of heavy equipment to crony mayors of the Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Balane), the P1.1 billion in unpaid obligations to banks, contractors and suppliers, the slide in the economic status of Nueva Ecija and the “sweeping rejection” by the electorate of the Josons in last year’s elections.

Joson said that the Department of Budget and Management assumed responsibility for the payment of the GSIS contributions but failed to do so. Worse, when the contributions were not remitted, the provincial government was slapped with interests. “If there was someone at fault here, it is the national government and not Gov. Joson,” he said.

The vice governor said that the tuition fees of the scholars were all paid for, during the time of Joson Sr. and Tomas III. On the contrary, he said, it was Umali who defaulted on payments for one year after he assumed office.