BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Former city mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has confirmed that he would return home barely seven years after fleeing the country for fear for his life and family.
Mabilog, who served as Iloilo City’s mayor from 2010 to 2017, has been out of the country since 2017 after being linked to illegal drug activities by then President Rodrigo Duterte.
Interviewed over ABS-CBN’s Headstart, Mabilog said he would return home and testify to shed light on what transpired during his incumbency, which led to this city being tagged as the “most stabilized” city in 2016.
Mabilog said his decision to come home is primarily to clear his name on allegations that he was a drug protector.
He thanked Congress for inviting him to appear in the investigation being conducted by the House quad-committee.
“At this particular moment, simple lang po ang gusto ko. Gusto ko lang pong umuwi, gusto ko lang ng peace,” Mabilog said.
Cong. Julienne Baronda voiced her willingness to convince Mabilog to return home and shed light on what transpired during his incumbency that led to this city having been tagged as the “most shabulized” city in 2016.
During a hearing of the House of Representatives “quad” committee, Baronda told her colleagues that she was ready to communicate with Mabilog and persuade him to go home and testify.
“Kung gustuhin man ng komisyon na ito, I might be able to convince Mayor Jed to go home so we can also ask for his statement on what happened to him,” said Baronda.
The House’s quad committee is probing the proliferation of drugs and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) under the Duterte administration.
The quad-committee is composed of the Committees of Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts.
Duterte tagged Iloilo City as the country’s “most shabulized” city and the “bedrock of illegal drugs” after accusing Mabilog of being a “drug protector.”
Mabilog had repeatedly denied the allegations and never returned home to Iloilo City since 2017 due to fears for his security.
In the interview, Mabilog maintained those investigating him did not produce concrete evidence to pin him down. He admitted though that he fled the country out of fear for himself and his family.
“Because it’s my family that matters most. I have decided not to return until such time that we will be able to see that things are favorable. We can now finally find justice like what is finally happening right now in Congress,” said Mabilog./PN
