Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has defended Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog, saying the former Iloilo City mayor was a “victim” of political persecution under the previous administration’s drug war.
Speaking before hundreds of personnel of the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-6) on Wednesday, Sept. 9, Remulla said the Duterte administration weaponized its anti-drug campaign against political opponents, forcing Mabilog into exile.
Mabilog left the Philippines in 2017 after being publicly accused by then-president Rodrigo Duterte. He spent nearly seven years in self-imposed exile in the United States, facing administrative dismissal and graft charges that he maintained were politically motivated.
Following his return to the country in 2024 and the grant of executive clemency in January 2025, which cleared his previous administrative penalties and restored his political rights, Mabilog served as a special adviser to former House speaker Martin Romualdez before entering the DILG.
The former city mayor was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety last May. In his new cabinet role, he oversees vital agencies including the BFP and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJPM).
Remulla described Mabilog “one of the most exceptional public servants that Iloilo has ever had and he’s performing well as undersecretary.”
The DILG chief served as the guest of honor at PRO-6 headquarters in Camp Martin Delgado, City Proper, for the ceremonial handover of 20 Unified 911 emergency response motorcycles.IMT
