Will the next Miss U be an Asian?

PALAYAN CITY – Third district Rep. Aurelio Umali may have won the governorship and ended the Josons’ half-century reign at the Capitol but his incoming administration may be headed for rough sailing.

This, as the new Sangguniang Panlalawigan may be expected to be uncooperative as Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Jose and at least nine Joson allies lord it over the new 13-man board.

Concerned Novo Ecijanos expressed apprehension that Umali’s reign as governor may be “untenable” since his legislative agenda may not be given priority in the pro-Joson provincial board.

Re-elected fourth district Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, a staunch ally of the Josons and Central Luzon chairman of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), said he expects the governorship to return to the Josons after three years.

Antonino said he hopes Umali would make good on his promise to out-perform the Josons, otherwise he said he would not be surprised if the Josons would reclaim the Capitol.

Umali won the gubernatorial race against Edward Thomas’ uncle, Vice Gov. Mariano Cristino Joson, by 120,000 votes, ending the family’s 50-year stranglehold of the Capitol. However, Umali’s running mate, Jose Taruc V, lost to Edward Thomas by 65,000 votes.

The nine pro-Joson board members-elect are Rommel Padilla, Eric Salazar, Cesar Cucio, Wilfredo Munsayac, Raqueliza Agaptio, Melchor Morales, Teresita Patiag, Zaldy Matias, and Romanito Juatco. Only Joseph Ortiz, a San Jose City councilor, survived the Joson juggernaut.

With the pro-Joson bloc easily outnumbering Umali’s allies, local officials and concerned citizens said Umali may find it hard to push through with his priority projects because the dominant majority would surely oppose them.

“It would be very hard for Oyie (Umali). He can rule but he cannot govern,” one of the officials said, adding that the dominant faction might resort to obstructionism.

During their reign in the Capitol, the Josons had had a friendly provincial board to support their legislative agenda, especially in the past 10 years when a Joson-Joson tandem ruled as governor and vice governor.

The vice governor sits as presiding officer of the provincial board, considered the most powerful policy-making body in the entire provincial bureaucracy.

The only time the Josons were unable to have control of the board was shortly after the 1995 elections when then vice governor Oscar Tinio, a staunch ally of outgoing Gov. Tomas Joson III, broke away from the latter’s younger brother, then governor Eduardo Nonato Joson, over policy differences.

Tinio, who held the minority faction, was able to block the legislative agenda of the Joson administration, causing tension in the Capitol and a near-violent end when Eduardo Nonato stormed the session hall to confront Tinio over the non-passage of vital legislative measures. Eventually, Tinio and the Josons reconciled.