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‘Nueva Ecija gov’s security an overkill’
By Liam Anacleto

CABANATUAN CITY – A security overkill with the presence of platoons of fully armed bodyguards and a cordon sanitaire surrounding Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali has turned off many Novo Ecijanos who gave him an overwhelming mandate in last year’s gubernatorial elections.

Residents said Umali’s security cordon would put to shame the Presidential Security Group of both President Arroyo and former President Joseph Estrada combined.
Church officials and concerned citizens said the presence of dozens of many bodyguards encircling Umali has alienated the governor from the masses.

A Catholic priest said Umali has gone “paranoid” (distrustful) of people coming near him over supposed death threats and Novo Ecijanos could not get near him in the process.

“Praning na siya pagdating sa security (He’s paranoid when it comes to security),” the Church official said.

He said the governor’s excessively huge number of bodyguards has been causing disorder in some public functions he attended, or was invited to.

The Church official recalled that Umali was invited to a recent gathering. He said two days before the event, the governor’s advance party arrived at the venue and started sifting the place for supposed bombs. “Ocular inspection lang daw sabi nila (They said it’s just an ocular inspection),” the official said.

Not contented with the advance party, he said the governor sent another group a day before the actual event, causing unnecessary alarm to the host.

The Church official said that even food preparations for the event where Umali would be the guest were severely affected because of the large number of bodyguards.

He said during a recent occasion, the host invited the governor and prepared food for only 20 members of his entourage.

However, around 80 bodyguards of Umali arrived, resulting to the shortage of food.

A husband of a prominent former public official in Central Luzon even remarked that with the presence of so many bodyguards, Umali had shown signs he was scared stiff of his life, amid the supposed death threats. “Duwag siya kung ganoon. Hindi siya matapang (He is timid. He is not brave),” he said.

The Church official said when Umali is at the provincial Capitol in Palayan City, his visitors have to pass through the proverbial eye of the needle before they could get near, or talk to him because they are screened thoroughly.

The governor’s aides would often say to visitors, “me death threats kasi si Boss (Boss has death threats),” referring to Umali.