Paolo Duterte’s embattled pal loses council panel posts due to absences

Davao City Councilor Nilo “Small” Abellera Jr. (sitting second from left) attends the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing into the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China. PHOTO BY CHRISTIA MARIE RAMOS / INQUIRER VOLUNTEER CORPS

DAVAO CITY – Councilor Nilo “Small” Abellera Jr., who was linked to the Bureau of Customs payola scandal, has been ousted from all his council committee positions due to his absences.

During the council’s session on Tuesday, most members voted for the ouster of Abellera as chair of the Committee on Peace and Public Safety.

He was also stripped of his vice chairmanship in the committees on public works and barangay affairs, and membership in the committees on finance, games and amusement and tourism and beautification.

A customs broker who turned whistleblower, Mark Ruben Taguba, alleged that he gave Abellera P5 million as “enrollment fee” to help smuggle into the country P6.4-billion worth of shabu.

Abellera is a known close friend of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, who was also dragged in to the BOC controversy.

The vice mayor, in an interview with reporters, said the council had to act on Abellera’s absences as these have affected his duties in the city council.

“He is always not around and is not doing his work, and I have heard he is always sick,” Duterte said.

He said the city council has exerted efforts to communicate with Abellera to inform him that he better resign from his committees.

“We’ve been communicating with him, to no avail,” he said.

Abellera last attended the council session early this month, after he appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. He has since been absent from the city council.