Jed Mabilog has returned from his seven-year self-exile after his inclusion in Duterte’s narco list
MANILA, Philippines – Former Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog revealed that besides security concerns, he also sought asylum in the United States to prevent the Duterte administration from falsely linking former senators Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon to illegal drugs.
“Dumeretso kami sa US at nag-apply ng political asylum. Mapalad po kami na pinagkalooban ng US ng political asylum. Patunay na walang nakitang kadahilanan sa mga maling paratang na ibinibintang sa akin (We went straight to the United States to apply for political asylum. We were lucky to have been granted political asylum by the US. This was proof that there’s no evidence found to prove the false allegations against me,” Mabilog said during the House of Representatives’ quad committee hearing on Thursday, September 19.
Mabilog flew overseas in 2017 after he was included in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s narco list. In the last seven years, Mabilog was in self-exile in the US but has maintained that he’s innocent and denied the drug allegations. He recently submitted an affidavit to the House mega panel that is probing into the drug war, extrajudicial killings, and Philippine offshore gaming operators, and revealed the reasons why — besides security issues — he did not return to the Philippines.
In his affidavit seen by Rappler, Mabilog said that when he was in Japan, then-Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa called him and told him to come home, telling him that he believes Mabilog was innocent. But shortly after the call, another unnamed PNP general called and warned the former Iloilo mayor.
“His voice was grim. ‘Do not return,’ he said. ‘Your life is in danger. The accusations against you are all fabricated, but if you go to Crame, you’ll be forced to point fingers at an opposition senator and a former presidential candidate as drug lords,’” Mabilog said.
Abang Lingkod Representative Joseph Paduano asked Mabilog if the two personalities he was referring to were Roxas and Drilon, to which the former mayor replied in the affirmative. Roxas was the Liberal Party’s standard bearer in 2016, while Drilon served as an opposition lawmaker during Duterte’s term.
“No statement. I have no knowledge of the events or telephone calls testified to by Mayor Mabilog. Like you, I heard it for the first time today,” Drilon told Rappler in a message.
Some critics were jailed under Duterte, like former senator Leila de Lima, who was detained for nearly seven years over the three drug charges filed under the previous administration. De Lima later walked free from detention and all her cases were dismissed by the courts.
Return home
Mabilog recently returned to the country and placed himself in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation. He faced arrest warrants issued by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan and Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.
Mabilog availed of provisional liberty after posting bail after his return.
“[I have] no regrets because I’m alive now, telling my story. And I’m [grateful] to [the] quad comm because they gave me the opportunity to come back,” Mabilog told reporters in a chance interview.
Mabilog ended up in Duterte’s narco list at the same time that other local officials were also tagged as alleged narco politicians. These personalities include Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who were both killed at the height of the drug war.
Duterte tagged Iloilo City under Mabilog’s leadership allegedly as the “most shabulized” place, with high incidence of illegal drugs in 2016. The former mayor, however, disputed this.
“Despite my hard work and dedication to public service, I was unjustly, baselessly included in former President Duterte’s so-called narco list. This inclusion was made without any evidence, investigation, or due process,” the former mayor said during the mega-panel hearing.
Mabilog said he never got the chance to talk to Duterte about the drug list. When asked why he thinks he ended up in the list, Mabilog said he came up with theories — either because Drilon is his cousin or because he did not support Duterte in the 2016 elections.
Asked if his inclusion was politically motivated, he replied: “President Rodrigo Duterte got only 13.7% of the total number of votes in Iloilo City, which is his lowest percentage votes all over the country, while Manuel Roxas won the majority in Iloilo City.”
Mabilog’s name was not part of the original drug list, but was only included later on, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“First of all, I declare that I was not, and never will be, a drug protector. I don’t know personally, nor did I benefit in any way from, any illegal drug personality in Iloilo or anywhere else,” Mabilog said. – Rappler.com
