Tomas Joson III

Tomas Noriel Joson III (May 10, 1948 – July 23, 2020) was a Filipino politician from the first district of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. He served as a Governor of Nueva Ecija for one term from 1992 to 1995, and was re-elected for another three terms from 1998 to 2007.

In 2019, Joson was found guilty of three counts of graft over donated vehicles to the towns of Quezon and Bongabon in 2007, and sentenced to between six and ten years' imprisonment for each count.

In 2020, Joson was acquitted.

Life

Early life

Tomas N. Joson III, called as "Tommy", was the eldest son of Eduardo Joson of Quezon, Nueva Ecija, a former guerilla officer who later served as provincial governor.

Political career

He was a member of the provincial board since 1980 and became vice governor. He served as acting provincial governor in 1990 and later elected (1992–1995, 1998–2007).

In 1990, Tomas III, then senior provincial board member, became vice governor following the death of his father which was succeeded then by the latter's vice governor, Narciso Nario.

As governor, he initiated the ''"Nueva Ecija 2000"'', supporting programs including on agriculture through establishing a provincial fruits and vegetable seed center.

During his term, the ''Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperatives'' was established, which boosted the province's dairy industry and helped to address malnutrition.

He implemented backyard tilapia production.

In his last years in office, he transferred the provincial seat of government to Palayan wherein infrastructures were constructed including a sports complex, a provincial convention center, and a college named in his father's memory.

Joson was defeated in Cabanatuan mayoralty election in 2007.

Joson was the chairperson of his family's '' Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija'' (Balane) when he nominated former fourth district representative Rodolfo Antonino as the party's candidate in the 2016 gubernatorial elections; the family decided to support the latter's candidacy as they did not join for the first time in 56 years.

Controversies

Tomas III, his younger brother Mariano Cristino, and two others were implicated in an alleged raid in a provincial jail in April 1990 wherein a Constabulary enlisted man was killed.

The two were charged as principal suspects in the ambush of Tomas' gubernatorial rival, then Cabanatuan mayor Honorato Perez Sr. of the administration's Lakas–NUCD, who was shot dead along with his bodyguard in Talavera on April 22, 1995. They were detained since then along with other co-accused.

Tomas III and Mariano Cristino ("Boyet"), then mayor of Quezon, both re-electionists under Balane–''Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino''–Nationalist People's Coalition, later withdrew their candidacies. Their brother, former first district representative Eduardo Nonato ("Edno") who is then seeking for his return, substituted for Tomas III and defeated Perez's widow; another, Eduardo, replaced Boyet. On the other hand, Josie replaced Edno in the congressional elections.

The Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the case (from Talavera Regional Trial Court Branch 88 to Pasig RTC Branch 166) and their detention (from provincial police headquarters in Cabanatuan to police custodial facility at Camp Crame in Quezon City). In 1998, while in detention, Tomas III and Mariano Cristino ran and were elected governor, against Perez's widow, and Quezon mayor respectively. In 1999, the court dismissed the murder charges against all accused for lack of evidence. Tomas III would be re-elected twice; Mariano Cristino, only once.

In July 2019, Joson was convicted of three counts of graft and was to serve at least 18 years in jail, in relation to the province's donation of service vehicles to Bongabon and Quezon in 2007. Two municipal mayors were convicted of graft as well. In early 2020, Sandiganbayan Special 7th Division, granting their appeal, voted to reverse the decision.

Personal life and death

Joson married, businesswoman, Mary Ann Filart; the couple had five children.

His eldest son, Edward Thomas, was a provincial board member prior to becoming provincial vice governor (ran under Balane–KAMPI coalition) in 2007. He was defeated twice by Aurelio Umali, in 2001 congressional elections in the third district and 2010 gubernatorial elections. He also ran in the 2016 elections (board member, third district). In 2021, he filed his candidacy for vice governorship against re-electionist Anthony Umali, brother of Aurelio who is then incumbent governor.

Joson died on July 23, 2020, aged 72. He was later interred at a cemetery in Marikina.

Notes

References

External links

Province of Nueva Ecija

Governors of Nueva Ecija
1948 births
2020 deaths
Filipino Roman Catholics
Tagalog people
People from Cabanatuan
People from Nueva Ecija
20th-century Filipino lawyers
San Beda University alumni
PDP–Laban politicians
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines

{{Philippines-politician-stub