Eduardo "Tatang" Lopez Joson Sr. (August 5, 1919 – August 9, 1990) was a Filipino military officer and politician. He was a captain of Filipino

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

during the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He later became the mayor of Quezon, Nueva Ecija and eventually the governor of

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

in a span of 31 years until his death in 1990, making him the second longest serving politician serving one government position in the country. During his governorship, he founded a local political party, '' Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija.''

World War II

Joson was a guerrilla fighter during

. He served with anti-

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

forces; he was recognized as a war hero for his leadership and his participation as a Filipino guerilla captain in a successful raid in a Japanese

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, an ...

called Camp Pangatian in

Cabanatuan Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan (; ; kapampangan language, Kapampangan: ''Lakanbalen/Ciudad ning Cabanatuan''), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Acco ...

in January 1945 wherein American

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

were rescued. Joson was the captain of Squadron 213 of

Robert Lapham Robert Lapham (January 1, 1917 – December 18, 2003) was a reserve lieutenant in the US Army in World War II. He served in the Philippines attached to the 45th Infantry (Philippine Scouts), evaded capture in the spring of 1942, and organized and ...

's guerrilla fighters in the Philippines. Along with Captain

Juan Pajota Captain Juan Pajota (c. 1914 – December 20, 1976) was involved in the Raid at Cabanatuan, an action which took place in the Philippines on January 30, 1945 by US Army Rangers and Filipino guerrillas and resulted in the liberation of more t ...

, they led the Philippine guerillas during the raid supporting the

Alamo Scouts The Alamo Scouts (U.S. 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit) was a reconnaissance unit of the Sixth United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. The unit is best known for its role in liberating American prisoner ...

, the largest rescue of POWs in US military history.

Political career

Joson's political career began when he dropped out of law school to run for mayor of Quezon, Nueva Ecija in 1947 and served until 1959. He was elected

governor of Nueva Ecija The governor of Nueva Ecija is the local chief executive of the Central Luzon Province of the Philippines, province of Nueva Ecija in the Luzon Island, Philippines. List The following are the holders of the position since the post's formal estab ...

on that

year A year is a unit of time based on how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. In scientific use, the tropical year (approximately 365 Synodic day, solar days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds) and the sidereal year (about 20 minutes longer) ...

and was re-elected in five succeeding elections. He served almost continuously until his death; in 1986, he was ousted in the aftermath of the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

. Being called "Tatang", as governor, he was known by constituents whom he helped through certain acts, which included paying for the delivery of infants, as well as free medicine, coffins, hospitalization and scholarships to those in need. Joson was a member of

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The New Society Movement (, KBL), formerly named the New Society Movement of United Nationalists, Liberals, et cetera (, KBLNNL), is a Right-wing politics, right-wing political party in the Philippines. It was first formed in 1978 as an umbrel ...

party of President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

, who at once apparently united him and his rival, Cabanatuan mayor Honorato Perez. However, both never reconciled and left the party after Marcos' ouster. In 1986, Joson was replaced by Emmanuel Santos as OIC governor appointed by the Aquino administration. The following year, he established his own regional political party, '' Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija'' (Balane). Running under the said party in 1988, Joson regained his seat after defeating Santos.

Later life and death

Joson suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in December 1989. On December 7, he temporarily vacated his office through a sick leave. Vice governor Narciso Nario and senior board member Tomas Joson III took over as acting governors. This became controversial when Tomas briefly succeeded Nario, who then left vice governorship due to health issues until being reinstalled by the Local Government Secretary and designated again as acting governor. Joson died on August 9, 1990 at age 71. He was buried in the municipal cemetery of Quezon.

Personal life

Joson was married to Araceli Santos Noriel, the granddaughter of

Mariano Noriel Mariano Noriel (March 16, 1864 - January 27, 1915) was a Filipino general who fought during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. He was member of the War Council that handled the case of Andres Bonifacio in 1897. He led F ...

and they had six children. All five sons held elected office, including: * Tomas III (eldest):

board member A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

in the 1980s; vice governor (1989– 1990, 1990); governor (1989–1990; 1992–1995, 1998–2007); * Eduardo Nonato (''Edno''; second son): provincial assemblyman,

Batasang Pambansa The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pa ...

(1984-1986); representative of the province's first legislative district (elected 1988, 2007–2010); governor (1995–1998); and administrator of the National Food Authority during the Estrada administration.

Notes

References

External links

US Pacific Command
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joson, Eduardo 1919 births 1990 deaths Filipino Roman Catholics Governors of Nueva Ecija Filipino guerrillas Tagalog people People from Nueva Ecija