Former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said on Thursday, September 19, that former President Rodrigo Duterte is only using his illegal drug list against his political rivals.
During the House quad committee probe into extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs, and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Mabilog revealed that the police were being used for political reasons.
“Kung inyong titingnang maigi, isinama ang mga pangalan ng kalaban sa pulitika sa isang validated list ng mga drug personalities sa kasunod na PRRD list. Sa kabila ng mga kuwestiyunableng impormasyong, walang validation o confirmation man lang na ginawa ng kahit na anomang ahensya ng gobyerno sa Malacañang initiated list. Itong PRRD list diumano ay naging isang ‘hit list,'” Mabilog said.
“Using state institutions to carry out personal vendettas or silence perceived enemies undermines the foundation of justice and democracy in our country. No individual should be able to wield such unchecked authority regardless of their position or power,” Mabilog added.
Duterte added Mabilog and other local officials in his “narco list,” for allegedly being “narco politicians.” Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, were killed during the peak of the illegal drug war.
In 2016, Duterte said that Iloilo City, which was led by Mabilog, was the “most shabulized” place due to the high number of illegal drugs found there. But the former mayor said this wasn’t true.
“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.
Law enforcement agencies said that Mabilog was not on the first list that was given to the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
When the former mayor found out about the list, a police chief asked him to give up his guns and have all of his security staff taken off his detail as mayor.
Mabilog said he never had a chance to talk to Duterte about the list of drugs. He came up with theories about why he thinks he ended up on the list. One was that Drilon is his cousin, and the other was that he didn’t back Duterte in the 2016 elections.
Asked if it was politically motivated, Mabilog said: “President Rodrigo Duterte got only 13.7 percent 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 just got back to the Philippines and turned himself in to the National Bureau of Investigation. He faced warrants of arrest by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan and the Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court for allegedly violating Republic Act No. 3019, which is the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.
He also availed provisional liberty after posting bail following his return to the Philippines from the United States after seven years. (TCSP)
