Mabilog willing to testify in ICC drug war probe

MANILA, Philippines — Former Iloilo mayor Jed Mabilog is willing to testify before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Mabilog, who was accused by former president Rodrigo Duterte of being a protector of drug dealers, said he can testify in whatever venue against the drug war.

“Of course, I am very much willing to fly anywhere, The Hague or whatever venue in the Philippines, because all that I have to do is to tell the truth,” he said yesterday over radio dzBB.

Mabilog said he is ready to face any investigation or inquiry, expressing confidence that he was never involved in illegal drugs.

“I am 100 percent confident I have never been involved in illegal drugs, never been a drug protector and will never be. I am sure my name will undergo the process of adjudication (and) will finally be delisted,” he added.

Mabilog had been in exile in the United States since 2017, where he was granted political asylum. He returned to the country last week.

Speaking before the House of Representatives’ quad committee on Thursday, Mabilog said he did not return to the Philippines in 2017 due to a warning from a police general not to come home.

The former mayor said that he wanted to come forward and speak for himself, as well as for other mayors who were included in the controversial “narcolist” of the previous administration.

Despite being tagged, Mabilog said he is not facing a single charge on illegal drugs and he was not included in the validated list.

“In the spirit of fairness and justice, it is unfair. My name is not on the validated list, but for whatever reason in the previous administration, my name is included,” he added.

The supposed narcolist was just being used as a political tool against opponents by the administration, Mabilog claimed.

During the House quad comm hearing on Thursday, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Moro Virgilio Lazo said Mabilog’s name was only later included in Duterte’s narcolist.

“Initially, it was not on the list. But later on, his name was included,” Lazo said, responding to Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, who asked if Mabilog was part of the drug