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PALAYAN CITY: The provincial government of Nueva Ecija, through an
acting division head, has charged five members of the Joson family
of graft before the Office of the Ombudsman over the donation of a
number of heavy equipment to various local government units early
this year.
In a complaint filed by Dr. Raymund Sarmiento,
officer-in-charge of the Public Affairs Monitoring Office, the
respondents were identified as former Gov. Tomas Joson III, his son
and now Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Joson, former Vice Gov. Mariano
Cristino Joson and his son, Quezon town Mayor Eduardo Basilo Joson
and former Guimba town Mayor Jose Pocholo Dizon, son-in-law of
incumbent 1st district Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson.
The other respondents are Bongabon Mayor Amelia
Gamilla, Board Member Cesar Cucio, former Mayor Marvin Martin of San
Leonardo and former provincial board members Bella Aurora Dulay,
Jose Bernardo Yango, Cesar Eduardo, Leonardo Garcia and Allan
Gamilla.
But Tomas III said the complaint was plain
harassment by the incumbent administration even as he clarified no
money is involved in the graft charges.
“Pag sinabi kasing graft, akala ay may
nagnakaw. Sa kasong ito, walang kahit isang sentimong sangkot [The
mere mention of the word ‘graft’ suggests corruption despite the
fact that no amount of money was stolen],” Joson said in an
interview.
Sarmiento sought the preventive suspension of
the incumbent officials pending the outcome of the investigation by
the anti-graft body.
Vice Gov. Edward was named respondent being a
member of the provincial board that approved the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan Resolution 37-A, which provides for the donation of the
heavy equipment to the towns of Quezon, Bongabon, Guimba, San
Leonardo and Talugtog.
In the complaint Sarmiento alleged that the
respondents violated Section 3.e of RA 3019 when it passed on
January 22, 2007 the resolution authorizing Tomas III to donate the
heavy equipment to the above-mentioned towns.
The complaint claimed that the respondents, in
the “malevolent and reprehensible” performance of their official
functions conspired with evident bad faith to “seriously
prejudice, if not totally paralyze” the then incoming
administration of Umali, in the process giving unwarranted benefits
to the respondent mayors.
Tomas III said that the donation was part of the
government’s program to upgrade the provincial engineering by
acquiring new heavy equipment and donating the old ones to LGUs that
lacked them. The plan, he said, was hatched as early as 2006, while
the resolution was apparently approved January 2007.
Questioning the propriety of charging him for
implementing a board resolution, Tomas III also wondered why even
the recipients were charged.
Among the heavy equipment donated were seven
units of heavy equipment to the municipality of Guimba; six units of
heavy equipment, Tomas III’s Ford Expedition and a Nissan Terrano
to the town of Bongabon; five units of heavy equipment, the
provincial mobile clinic, a Toyota Revo, a Ford F150 and a Nissan
Urvan to the town of Quezon. Then followed with six units of heavy
equipment to the municipality of San Leonardo consisting of three
units of Isuzu 10-wheeler truck, one Mitsubishi Road Grader, one PHH
Komatsu Excavator and one Komatsu bulldozer.
“Such massive gratuitous dispositions by
former Governor Joson of much needed properties made just before he
vacated his office were doubtless maliciously designed to debilitate
and unduly prejudice the incoming administration of Governor Umali,”
the complaint added.
It noted that following the said donations the
province was left with only eight dump trucks, one loader and
without any grader.
-- Armand M. Galang
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