‘WHO ABANDONED MAYOR JED?’: Baronda seeks vindication for former Iloilo City Mayor Mabilog

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

Iloilo City Congresswoman Julienne Baronda has called for the vindication of former Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who was tagged as a “drug protector” during the Duterte administration in 2017.

Baronda, who was not yet a public official at the time, revealed to Daily Guardian that she made discreet efforts to clear Mabilog’s name, working behind the scenes with high-ranking officials to overturn the allegations.

“When former Mayor Jed Mabilog was tagged as a drug protector in 2017, I was not an elected public official. I was not the congressman then. But as his former colleague in the Iloilo City Council and a friend, I tried, discreetly and in my personal capacity, to help him clear his name,” Baronda stated.

She emphasized that Mabilog was aware of her efforts, though they ultimately did not succeed in reversing the narrative.

Baronda, a long-time friend and colleague of Mabilog, expressed regret that her efforts did not manage to change the public’s perception at the time.

Despite her attempts to work with officials to address the accusations, the misinformation persisted, leading to Mabilog’s eventual departure from the country.

Now, with the political landscape shifting, Baronda believes it is the right moment for Mabilog to be exonerated.

“Given the political realities now, and in the wake of the Quadcom Hearing that includes the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, I deemed it to be the right time and opportunity for him to be vindicated,” she said.

She also sought to correct what she described as a widespread misperception that Iloilo City was the “most shabulized city” during Mabilog’s tenure.

“We, the Ilonggos, know our city was not the most shabulized. The records would bear us out,” Baronda asserted, challenging the narrative that plagued Iloilo City during the height of the drug war.

During a joint public hearing of the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts (quadcom) on Friday, August 16, Baronda emphasized that Duterte’s actions toward Mabilog constituted a violation of the latter’s human rights.

She also pointed out that neither the president nor police authorities provided solid evidence to justify labeling the city or linking Mabilog to illegal drugs.

“Up until now, we have not seen any evidence or list from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) or Philippine National Police (PNP) showing that Jed is involved in the illegal drug trade or is a protector,” she said.

Baronda added that she might be able to convince Mabilog to return to the country to testify before Congress.

“If the quadcom allows, I might be able to convince Jed to come home so that we can also ask for his statement. What happened to him? Just to shed light on the war on drugs in Iloilo, which is not true,” she emphasized.

The lawmaker stressed that if an elected public official recognized internationally could face such accusations, the human rights violations against common Filipinos would be even more brazen.

In August 2016, Duterte branded Iloilo as the “most shabulized” city, mentioning several local government officials and other personalities from the province and city with alleged links to the illegal drug trade.

The PNP’s list of narco-politicians, which included the names of 158 public officials nationwide, identified Mabilog and 11 other government and police officials from Iloilo.

During his administration, Duterte repeatedly called Mabilog a drug protector, a claim the mayor has consistently denied.

In 2018, Duterte even threatened to kill Mabilog if he returned to the country after being implicated in the illegal drug trade.

Mabilog left the country on August 30, 2017, for an official trip to Japan and Malaysia and later filed a sick leave to seek medical treatment abroad in September 2017.

Since then, Mabilog has yet to return to the country, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Atty. Gil Pabilona, former director of PDEA-6 in 2017, stated that neither Mabilog nor other elected city officials named by Duterte were on their watch list or were known to be protecting drug personalities.

“It is my obligation to clear the label given by the former president,” Baronda said, noting that the “most shabulized” label “caused much shame to our city and to its residents.”

During the quad committee hearing, Baronda also asked PDEA and PNP if their records from 2016 and 2017 support Duterte’s claims, but the agencies responded that they did not have those records available during the hearing.

“Apologies that we cannot respond to the question at this time in the absence of the record that is being referred to,” said an official from the PNP.

Baronda also requested that the two agencies provide a list of the top 50 areas in the country in terms of illegal drug trade and a list of city officials on their narco list during those years.

Dangerous Drugs Committee Chair Robert Ace Barbers said the quadcom would heed Baronda’s request.

“At the appropriate time, the quadcom will discuss and perhaps come up with a resolution to reconsider the ‘shabulized’ tag issued to the beautiful city of Iloilo,” he said.