MANILA – Former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog stated on Thursday that former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s controversial drug list was utilized to attack his political opponents.

During the House quad committee’s investigation into extrajudicial executions, illegal narcotics, and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Mabilog, whose name appeared on Duterte’s narco-list, remarked that it had effectively become a “hit list” motivated by political agendas and lacking evidence.

“Kung inyong titingnang maigi, isinama ang mga pangalan ng kalaban sa pulitika sa isang validated list ng mga drug personalities sa kasunod na PRRD list. Sa kabila ng mga kuwestiyunableng impormasyong, walang validation o confirmation man lang na ginawa ng kahit na anomang ahensya ng gobyerno sa Malacañang initiated list. Itong PRRD list diumano ay naging isang ‘hit list,'” said Mabilog.

“Una po sa lahat, I declare that I was not and never will be a drug protector! I don’t know personally nor did I benefit in any way from any illegal drug personality in Iloilo or anywhere else,” Mabilog stressed.

After living in self-imposed exile in the United States for seven years, the former mayor returned to the Philippines and denied ever using illegal drugs.

Mabilog’s Anti-Drug Campaign

While serving as mayor, Mabilog vowed to actively combat drug use, highlighting that under his leadership, Iloilo City became the first city in the Philippines to have all 100 of its Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADAC) functional in 2014. However, after being included on the controversial narco-list, he claimed the Duterte administration disregarded his anti-drug efforts. Mabilog recounted how his family was forced into self-exile due to escalating threats against him.

“Paulit-ulit ang pagbabanta ni Presidente Duterte sa media, harap-harapang sinasabi na ipapa-patay daw ako,” Mabilog said.

He described a harrowing incident in 2017 when he received a call from then-Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald Dela Rosa, inviting him to Camp Crame, only to be warned by a colonel not to attend.

Mabilog also revealed that his wife received a text message indicating that individuals were supposedly approaching their home, threatening to kill him if he went to Camp Crame.

“The terror was paralyzing. I couldn’t believe it—my life was hanging by a thread,” Mabilog said.

Mabilog Exposes Alleged Scheme to Frame Drilon and Roxas

Additionally, Mabilog alleged that there was a plot to compel him to associate illegal enterprises with former senators Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon. In 2017, while he was in Japan, Mabilog received a call from Dela Rosa, who expressed sympathy, realizing Mabilog was innocent. However, following that conversation, an unidentified police official warned him that returning to the Philippines would force him to “point fingers” at two prominent figures as “drug lords.”

“His voice was grim. ‘Do not return,’ he said. ‘Your life is in danger. The accusations against you are all fabricated, but if you go to Crame, you’ll be forced to point fingers at an opposition senator and a former presidential candidate as drug lords,’” Mabilog recounted.

Mabilog affirmed when Representative Joseph Paduano of Abang Lingkod inquired if the individuals he referred to were Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon. Roxas led the Liberal Party in 2016, while Drilon was a member of the opposition during Duterte’s administration.

Politics Behind the Narco-List

According to Rep. Paduano, Mabilog’s inclusion in the Duterte administration’s narco-list appears to have been motivated by political considerations.

“So, Mr. Chairman, the reason why I am asking this is because from the very start of the statement, the affidavit of Jed Mabilog and his preliminary remarks, it is all about politics. That’s why Duterte’s list again, from the statement of Col. (Jovie) Espenido, it appears that it has not gone through vetting and validation,” Paduano noted.

Mabilog asserted that law enforcement agencies are being exploited for political purposes, undermining public confidence in the government.

“Using state institutions to carry out personal vendettas or silence perceived enemies undermines the foundation of justice and democracy in our country,” Mabilog said.

“No individual should be able to wield such unchecked authority regardless of their position or power,” Mabilog emphasized, calling for reforms in law enforcement.

📷 House of Representatives of the Philippines