Speculations are rife that former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is gunning to regain his old seat in next year’s polls after he asked the Commission on Elections to reactivate his voter’s registration.
His lawyer, Jeric Jucaban, on Wednesday confirmed that Mabilog applied to reactivate his voter’s registration although he remained coy if the former mayor would be running for an electoral post in 2025.
“(There will be a hearing) before his voter’s registration is officially reactivated. But as I have said, I can confirm the former mayor has decided to apply for reactivation of his voter’s registration,” said Jacuban in an interview over Bombo Radyo Philippines on Wednesday.
But he said he had not talked to his client about politics since Mabilog’s instruction was to focus first on the legal issues and politics could come later.
“But my role as his lawyer, if ever he decides to run…we will give him options. We will assist him to make sure he is qualified to run,” said Jacuban.
READ: Mabilog, the ex-Iloilo mayor on Duterte’s drug list, returns to PH
He said that as far as they knew, Mabilog, who had posted bail, was facing two cases.
One was a graft case filed before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly owning a towing service hired by a local government. Another was pending before a local court in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu for allegedly not declaring his interest in a company on his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth.
Mabilog’s return to Iloilo City would make local politics more exciting.
For one, he can be a formidable candidate who can challenge the reelection bid of Mayor Jerry Treñas.
FILE PHOTO: Jed Patrick Mabilog. INQUIRER FILES
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Treñas expressed support to Mabilog’s intention to return and address the allegations against him.
“If he decides to re-enter politics, he has every right to do so. In politics, individuals are free to run for any position they choose,” the mayor said.
Mabilog was first elected mayor of Iloilo City in 2010 and went on to win two more terms.
In 2012, he built the Iloilo River Esplanade as part of the efforts to rehabilitate Iloilo River. It is now the country’s largest linear park in the country and one of the city’s popular tourist attractions.
A year after winning his third term, Mabilog was linked to the illegal drugs trade by then president Rodrigo Duterte.
The constant attacks on Mabilog forced the mayor and his family to flee Iloilo and went on self-imposed exile in Canada. Despite Duterte’s accusation, no drug case has ever filed against Mabilog.
READ: Mabilog wife hits back at Duterte: Drug raps unproven
On Tuesday, Mabilog returned to the country after seven years, to clean his name, confident that the present administration would be able to give him due process and fairness.
His return, however, was not easy for his family.
In her Facebook post, his wife, Marivic wrote she remained conflicted by her husband’s decision.
“The trauma of 2017, where I was literally on the run with an 8-year old boy just to stay alive, survive that darkest night, is gushing down and I get that drowning feeling. I had been crying myself to sleep, but I am strong, right? Strong-willed, Jed said. In my own interpretation of his words, tig-ulo (hard-headed) and a pain in the neck, too. Ha.ha,” she wrote.
She said that her husband’s interview on TV where he poured his heart out, was “overwhelming.”
“The kids were crying and I had to explain it to them that on TV was precisely the reason why in the end I allowed their Dad to go home. He needed closure. He needed to visit his Mom’s final resting place. He needed to redeem his honor of which he had worked so hard to earn. He needed to protect his legacy for which he dedicated most of his life to achieve,” she added. ###