đ·Former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog
Former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog turned emotional on Thursday, September 19, as the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte wants him to accuse former senators Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon as drug lords if he returned to the Philippines.
During the House of Representativesâ 6th Quad Committee hearing, Mabilog said Police Brig. Gen. Bernardo Diaz asked him to call then-Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronaldo âBatoâ dela Rosa.
“Using a public payphone, I made the call and spoke to General Bato, who expressed his sympathy. He was talking to me in Bisaya. He told me he knew I was innocent, that I wasnât involved in illegal drugs, and he promised to help me,” Mabilog said, adding that their conversation nearly convinced him to return to the Philippines.
Mabilog told dela Rosa that he would finish his work abroad and go back to the Philippines to meet him. However, the former PNP chief urged him to be careful while repeating his promise to help.
Later that day, he received a call from an unnamed general seven years ago, where he was asked not to return to the Philippines as the official’s life was in danger.
âThe general said, âMayor, do not return. Your life is in danger. The accusations against you were fabricated,” Mabilog said.
“If you go to Camp Crame, youâll be forced to accuse an opposition senator and a presidential candidate as drug lords,ââ Mabilog also said, referring to Roxas and Drilon who were key figures in the opposition Liberal Party during Duterteâs presidency.
The former Iloilo mayor added that the general asked him to destroy his mobile phone and sim card to avoid wiretapping.
Mabilog left the Philippines in August 2017 for a conference in Japan. However, he and his family chose not to return to the country due to safety concerns. He then flew to the United States and became a political asylum.
After seven years, Mabilog returned to the Philippines to say that he was never involved in the illegal drug trade and that he implemented several anti-illegal drug programs in Iloilo during his term.
âAll of a sudden, my name was included in the PRRD ânarco-listâ of the Duterte administration. A list of public officials who were accused of alleged ties to illegal drugs, all of which have been proven baseless,â Mabilog said.
âI declare that I was not, and never will be, a drug protector. I donât know or benefit from any drug personality in Iloilo or anywhere else. Until today, no drug-related charges have been filed against me in any legal court,” Mabilog added.
The former Iloilo mayor said that Duterte repeatedly threatened him in front of the media, saying that he would have me killed and that the former President could make the threat happen.
Mabilog also said that former President Rodrigo Duterte’s accusations against him were “baseless” and “fabricated,” adding that he hoped accusations would be verified first before being announced publicly.
At this point, Mabilog became emotional as he recalled the traumatic experiences his family endured due to the accusations. He emphasized that no drug-related cases have been filed against him to date.
âIt sent shivers down my spine, literally⊠The fear that had been simmering (has) now erupted. Soon after, my wife Marivic received a chilling text from a PNP Colonelâs wife: âDo not proceed. Twenty men are surrounding your house, and if you go to Camp Crame, they will kill you,ââ he said.
When asked what might have driven the former president to use such intimidation, Mabilog couldn’t pinpoint a reason. He speculated it might be due to Duterte receiving the lowest votes in Iloilo City during the 2016 elections. Mabilog added that leaving the Philippines for seven years was never his intention.
âI was saddened and in pain when I was forced to be away from my family, as well as my beloved town I promised to serve. Not because I was wrong, but because our lives were in danger,â he said.
âI wish that our sufferings, which broke us into persecution, trauma, and nothingness, will never be experienced again. May truth prevail, and not the politics of the few,â the former mayor concluded his statement. (TCSP)
