Here's why ex-mayor Mabilog left the Philippines in 2017

MANILA, Philippines — Former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog said on Thursday, September 19, that he did not return to the Philippines in 2017 due to a warning from a police general not to come home. 

After Mabilog returned to the country on September 10, he attended the sixth public hearing of the House’s quadcom on Thursday in hopes that he would be given due process.

Here’s what happened based on Mabilog’s sworn statement.

The president’s drug list. On Aug. 7, 2016, former President Rodrigo Duterte accused Mabilog on live television of being a “major drug protector” and included him in his list of public officials allegedly involved in the country’s illegal drug trade, despite the absence of any drug-related charges against him.

Since then, Duterte would occasionally mention Mabilog during broadcasted events or interviews related to the former president’s war on drugs, even saying once in Filipino to “get rid” of him.

Law enforcement agencies, however, confirmed that Mabilog was not included in the original list submitted to the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.  

When the former mayor was informed of the list, a police chief requested that he surrender his firearms and have all his security personnel removed from his detail as mayor.

Mabilog asked him why he was included in the list without validation and the police chief only answered, “Nanggaling sa taas ang lista (The list came from higher-ups),” referring to Duterte. 

Mabilog also told lawmakers that he made several attempts to meet with Duterte to ask why he was included in the list, but to no avail. 

The only reasons he could think of are that he was not supportive of the former president during the national elections in 2016 and that Iloilo City was often compared to Davao City, which Duterte was a former mayor of. 

He added that most of Iloilo City’s residents also voted for Duterte’s opponent in the presidential elections, former Sen. Mar Roxas. 

When other public officials included in the list had died, Mabilog feared for his life even more. 

Prior to leaving. Two days before Mabilog left to attend an international speaking engagement in Japan, former police