Ex-mayor Mabilog appointed to DILG

MANILA, Philippines — From being a fugitive during the Duterte administration, former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has been appointed as an undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla yesterday swore in Mabilog as undersecretary for public safety, focusing on reforms in local government units.

Remulla maintained that Mabilog is not out for revenge.

Mabilog left the country in 2017 and hid in the US for years after former president Rodrigo Duterte tagged him as an alleged major drug protector.

He returned to the Philippines in 2024 and turned himself in to the National Bureau of Investigation.

President Marcos granted Mabilog executive clemency on Jan. 15, 2025.

Mabilog had denied Duterte’s accusations that he was the protector of alleged drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. who was killed in 2016. –  Alexis Romero