Mabilog says faith brought his return, executive clemency

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – After seven years, he returned to the country and was granted executive clemency for his administrative cases. Former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog believes it was all the work of God.

In a press conference at his residence in the Molo District, Mabilog said he had been praying for his return since 2023 to clear his name from the allegations of former president Rodrigo Duterte of his involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Because of Duterte’s accusations, Mabilog was forced to flee the country and hide for over seven years amid fears for his life and family. He went back to the country on September 10, 2024.

“I thank God, especially Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom I prayed to on December 12, 2023, asking through her intercession that I be brought back home to the Philippines so I could share my story,” he said.

“It hasn’t even been a year, yet God truly listened to His mother, just as He listened when she asked Him to turn water into wine,” he added.

Despite Duterte’s allegation of his links to illegal drugs, no formal charges were filed against Mabilog.

Mabilog said he has already forgiven Duterte and has no plans of bringing him to court.

“As a true Christian, I forgave him (Duterte) already, and will not file any case as a sort of retaliation,” he said.

Mabilog said it was enough that Duterte would face the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with his bloody war on drugs.

Due to ‘good governance’

It was Mabilog’s “long-standing commitment to good governance, coupled with the awards and recognition received by Iloilo City under his leadership” that warranted his executive clemency, according to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

The clemency was granted in a seven-page resolution dated January 15 and made public January 28.

Mabilog was originally dismissed from service by the Ombudsman in October 2017 over graft charges and alleged conflict of interest filed by former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada in 2013 over unexplained wealth and the awarding of a government contract to a towing services firm.

On September 20, 2024, Mabilog filed a petition seeking the removal of administrative penalties imposed by the 2017 decision. The petition was forwarded to the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

On September 30, 2024, he requested an order to direct the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to restore his political rights, but the Office of the President denied the request on October 30, 2024, citing its lack of jurisdiction over the independent commission.

The CSC declined to recommend the removal of administrative penalties on November 15, 2024, noting that the President has the authority to commute or remove the penalties without the CSC’s recommendation.

In granting the clemency, Malacañang cited the list of achievements of Iloilo City during Mabilog’s leadership.

“I thank the president because he saw, through his executive secretary, the reason to grant my appeal … It came from the president himself. There is no better agency in the country but from Malacañang, the Office of the President,” Mabilog said.

While the clemency covers administrative liabilities and restores Mabilog’s political rights, it does not cover pending criminal cases.

Mabilog said there were still more challenges even after he was granted executive clemency, referring to the criminal case against him.

Mabilog, however, refused to comment on the matter to avoid a sub judice.

“That is why there are still many storms to face… to battle as long as we live. After this clemency, a battle on public perception also remains a hurdle,” he said.

He said he was grateful for the opportunity to be able to exercise his right to vote and to be voted upon again, calling it “adjudication and restoration.”

But although Mabilog can be elected or appointed in any position in government, he said, “Everything is still fluid.”

Mabilog said he was planning on going to Malacañang to personally thank Marcos before visiting his family who opted to stay in the United States.

Justice is served

Mabilog’s clemency was celebrated by Iloilo City officials.

Mayor Jerry Treñas called it “a new chapter of peace and hope,” while Iloilo Representative Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda, who has been instrumental to Mabilog’s return to the country, called it a triumph for justice.

“The prayers of thousands, who have witnessed how he has given it all for Iloilo City as our city mayor and how he has loved the Ilonggos, have been heard. Justice is served,” she said.

While others see the clemency on a positive note, former city councilor Plaridel Nava II said the executive clemency is “tainted with legal flaws.” Nava, who was also implicated in the towing services contract, said he would challenge it before the Supreme Court (SC).

“I will challenge it before the Supreme Court, which ruled that an administrative dismissal issued by the Office of the Ombudsman cannot be subject to an executive clemency,” he said.

The SC in Llamas v. Orbos (G.R. No. 99031) explicitly ruled that the president has the authority to grant executive clemency in administrative cases.

The High Court reasoned that if the president can grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons in criminal cases, then they can also grant executive clemency in administrative cases.

Nava also pointed out that Mabilog is still facing a criminal case with the Sandiganbayan that makes him ineligible for any presidential pardon.

The pending criminal case of Mabilog before the Sandiganbayan is related to violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act over financial interests in a towing company contracted by the city government during his mayoral term.

Former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo also issued a statement on Monday, calling the executive clemency Mabilog’s reward for attacking Duterte’s reputation.

“The pardon granted Mabilog on his administrative cases, obviously, is a reward for attacking and besmirching Duterte, who is now a critic of the Marcos administration,” Panelo said.

Mabilog brushed aside Panelo’s tirades, saying he did not want to dignify them.

“I just pray for both of them (Panelo and Duterte) that God will enlighten their minds,” he said. – Rappler.com