MANILA – There is no such thing as “moving on” for President Rodrigo Duterte when it comes to former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.
During his nationwide televised address on Monday night, Duterte reiterated that Mabilog’s perpetual disqualification from holding public office was not his decision.
“‘Yong conviction niya (Mabilog), dismissed from public office and barred from holding public office, that was not my decision, it was the decision of the Ombudsman,” said Duterte.
The President likewise slammed Jed’s wife Marivic who appealed that he “move on” and stop attacking her husband.
“Ito naman si Mabilog, nagyayawyaw ‘yong asawa. Look, it was not my fault that your husband’s name appeared on that list. Hindi aking listahan ‘yan,” Duterte said.
In his previous address, Duterte read out names of dismissed government workers, including Mabilog, as part of his renewed anti-corruption offensives.
In August 2017, Mabilog fled the country amid Duterte’s continued linking of the then mayor to illegal drugs, citing a narco list.
Some two months after, in October 2017, Mabilog was ordered dismissed from the service by the Ombudsman for “serious dishonesty relative to his unlawful acquisition of wealth.” He was also perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
According to the Ombudsman, Mabilog failed to “properly account or explain his sources of income”, specifically the P8.9-million increase in the mayor’s wealth within one year from 2012 to 2013.
The mayor’s wealth, as stated in his 2013 Statement of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), was P68,341,622.40 – higher by P8,983,082.52 from his 2012 SALN of P59,358,539.89.
The complaint against Mabilog was filed by journalist and former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada in 2015. He claimed the increase in the mayor’s wealth was “grossly disproportionate to his legitimate income as a public official and businessman.”
Then in 2018 the Ombudsman again dismissed him from government center over a towing deal way back in 2015.
The dismissal came with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and prohibition from taking the civil service examinations.
To recall, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) of Iloilo City on April 8, 2014 enacted a towing ordinance that incorporated the use of a towing clamp.
On Feb. 17, 2015, Mabilog was authorized to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on behalf of the Iloilo City government with the 3L Towing Services for the implementation of the ordinance.
The MOA was confirmed one week after but three days later, the former mayor through an urgent letter informed the SP of its suspension due to technical issues.
On May 19, 2015, Leny Garcia, proprietor of 3L, offered to withdraw from the MOA.
Meanwhile, answering to President Duterte’s latest tirade, Marivic said Tuesday the supposed narco-list of the administration was “fake.”
“Your drug list is as fake as a 15-peso bill. It’s not even worth the toilet paper it’s written on. Move on,” she said.
Marivic added that aside from sleeping, “The President got nothing better things to do.”/PN