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BY LUIS BUENAFLOR JR.
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Monday, January 16, 2017
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THESE days one cannot help but pity former World Mayor No. 5 Jed Mabilog since that fateful night when President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he is involved in the illegal drugs trade and tagged Iloilo as the most “shabu-lized” city.
Everything seems to be going downhill for him. He lost his supervision and control over the police, effectively making him a lame duck mayor. His political allies and patron abandoned him, making only token statements in his defense. His closest ally, Cong. Jerry Treñas, is now safely a member of President Duterte’s political party and could not even guarantee entry for Jed as a member.
Sen. Franklin Drilon who once declared to the world that Jed Mabilog is his cousin or some kind of relative only made token statements that Jed is not involved in illegal drugs. Other than that, nothing substantial from the self-proclaimed “Big Man in the Senate.” I guess self preservation is thicker than blood.
Jed could also not count on the support of his “BFF” Jing-Jing Espinosa as he is languishing in jail.
And that Jeffrey Celiz, a self-styled “leftist” who is really an opportunist, is nowhere to be found. This loud mouth braggart used to bully market vendors in the name of former World Mayor No. 5 Jed Mabilog. I supposed when faced with the wrath of President Duterte he looked for the nearest hole and burrowed himself. This man should be out there in the barricades defending Jed Mabilog as his financial and material possessions vastly improved when he hitched himself to Jed’s bandwagon.
And there seems to be no let up for former World Mayor No. 5 Jed Mabilog. He is currently under investigations by the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Task Force Aguila (no pun intended) for his suspected involvement in the illegal drugs trade.
President Duterte called all the mayors last week to Malacañang, not to give them his New Year’s message or ask them for their New Year’s resolution but to give them a dressing down and an ultimatum to either “resign or die” if they still fail to stop the illegal drugs trade. Former World Mayor No. 5 Jed Mabilog was singled out especially for that ultimatum.
Poor Jed, the man is really facing a “matter of life or death” situation.
Of course, we cannot entirely blame Jed for his predicament just because he has a penchant for the finer things in life and he is famously known for his “eye for beauty.”
No sir, the man was just “making hay while the sun shines” and as the late George Harrison said, “All things must pass.”
I’m pretty sure that the natives of “I am Iloilo” will agree with me that Former World Mayor No.
5 Jed Mabilog is not all that bad as some people are making him out to be.
What will “I am Iloilo” be without the Lin-ay sang Iloilo statue on top of the brand new multi-million city hall, never mind that they forgot to build a parking lot along with it.
And what will the Esplanade be without that statue of Datu Paiburong guarding its entrance; the artist who designed and made it donated it because of former World Mayor No. 5 Jed Mabilog.
All those “selfie” addicts should bear in mind and be eternally grateful to Mayor Jed Mabilog because without the statue of Datu Paiburong, where will they pose and have their “selfies” taken?
And Mayor Jed Mabilog’s most notable and important “beautification project”? Without it “I am Iloilo” would be just a boring and ugly city whose streets flood every time there is a heavy downpour.
This I must say: Despite all the accusations including the “fire and brimstone” coming from President Rodrigo Duterte, Jed Mabilog never wavered in declaring his continuous support for President’s federalism advocacy and war on drugs.
Mayor Jed Mabilog is a better Filipino than Leila de Lima and Leni Robredo, and that, folks, is commendable.
Yes, I know Jed is doing that for survival but at least it’s positive and not counterproductive./PN
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