Ex-Iloilo mayor on Duterte’s drug list returns to PH

Former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog

MANILA, Philippines — Former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who fled the country in 2017 after being linked by then President Rodrigo Duterte to illegal drug trade, returned to the country on Tuesday after seven years of self-imposed exile.

Mabilog, who is facing complaints for violating Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation-National Capital Region at Ninoy Aquino Airport Terminal 3 upon his arrival, the NBI said.

It added that he was later brought to the Sandiganbayan for the return of the arrest warrant issued against him.

Mabilog’s cases were in connection with allegations that he owned a towing services company which had been hired by the local government.

He and his family left the country in August 2017 amid fears he could end up being killed after Duterte tagged him as a narco-politician. The former president claimed Mabilog was a protector of illegal drug syndicates in Western Visayas, an allegation the mayor denied.

In an interview with ABS CBN News Channel on Tuesday, Mabilog said he wanted to come home “to return and face [my cases] to prove my innocence.”

“I am ready to face these allegations against me, but I hope it will undergo the right process,” he said, adding that no drug cases were filed against him under the Duterte administration.

Mabilog was cleared of charges related to his supposed ill-gotten wealth in 2021. This was after the Court of Appeals, citing lack of merit, reversed the Aug. 29, 2017, Ombudsman decision that found him guilty of serious dishonesty for unexplained wealth amounting to nearly P9 million.