From US asylum to DILG: Mabilog’s full-circle return

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Newly appointed Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary for Public Safety Jed Patrick Mabilog has vowed to focus on strengthening public safety systems, promoting accountability and integrity in government service, and helping ensure responsive and effective governance.

The former Iloilo City mayor, who once faced accusations linking him to illegal drugs under the Duterte administration, took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday, May 13.

“Public service is both a responsibility and a privilege, and I accept this new role with humility, gratitude, and determination to do the best of my ability,” he said in a statement.

Mabilog is also scheduled to hold a ceremonial oath-taking at the University of the Philippines Visayas Iloilo City Campus on Friday.

He succeeds Serafin P. Barretto Jr., who held the post since August 2022 under then-Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

Mabilog now oversees DILG-attached agencies, including the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

His duties include policy formulation for public safety, law enforcement coordination, disaster response, and support to local government units on peace, order, and emergency readiness.

Mabilog said he is deeply honored and humbled by the trust and confidence of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“I sincerely thank President Marcos for this opportunity to once again serve our country and our people,” he said.

He pledged full support for the Marcos administration’s Bagong Pilipinas agenda, vowing to serve diligently, fairly, and faithfully for the best interest of the Filipino people.

Before the appointment, Mabilog served as special adviser to former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez beginning May 2025, advising on legislative strategy, politics, and administration.

He was one of the central political figures during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

Duterte publicly labeled him a top drug syndicate protector, tied him to the Odicta group, and called Iloilo the “most shabulized” city during his time as mayor.

Amid mounting threats and public accusations, Mabilog left the country in 2017 and sought asylum in the United States, where he stayed for about seven years while consistently denying the allegations and describing them as politically motivated.

Despite the high-profile accusations, no drug-related charges were filed against him.

Mabilog returned to the Philippines in September 2024, at the height of the midterm election season and during the House of Representatives Quad Committee investigation into extrajudicial killings and the Duterte drug war, where he later testified.

During one of the hearings, Mabilog tearfully denied all drug protector allegations, calling Duterte’s narco-list “baseless” and politically fabricated.

He said he had been pressured by Duterte officials to falsely implicate opposition figures, including former Senators Franklin Drilon and Mar Roxas, as drug lords, and warned that refusal endangered his life.

In January 2025, Marcos granted Mabilog executive clemency in connection with his 2017 dismissal by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the service.

The administrative case stemmed from a 2013 complaint involving an alleged conflict of interest tied to a towing service contract and unexplained wealth.

Marcos cited Mabilog’s “longstanding commitment to good governance” and Iloilo City’s awards under his mayoralty from 2010 to 2017.

The clemency lifted penalties that included dismissal from service, perpetual disqualification from public office, and restrictions on reemployment in government, effectively restoring Mabilog’s eligibility to hold public office.