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[av_heading heading=’ Mabilog in Du30’s updated narco-list ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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MANILA – Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City is in the updated “drug list” of President Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s chief executive himself told reporters in Pampanga province yesterday.
“Well, I’ll tell you again, mayor. Dinadawit ka, for the longest time. Updated list, nandiyan ka,” Duterte said upon hearing the name of Mabilog from a reporter who was about to seek further comment regarding the reassignment of Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido to Iloilo City.
Two mayors linked to the illegal drug trade were killed in separate police operations where Espenido was chief of police.
Addressing Mabilog, the President said yesterday, “E sa totoo lang, ngayon pang wala na nangyari, baka gusto mo nang tapusin ang connection mo.”
Mabilog has repeatedly denied any link to the illegal drug trade.
Just this July 30, Ozamiz City’s Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others were killed in a shootout led by Espenido who was serving search warrants at Parojinog’s properties in barangays Baybay San Roque and Baybay Santa Cruz.
November last year, Espenido was also the police chief of Albuera, Leyte when its mayor, Rolando Espinosa Sr., was killed in a shootout as police were attempting to serve a search warrant.
“Do not protect, do not call the police, ganito na ganito,” Duterte further said, addressing Mabilog. “Do not just mess up with the…kasi ’pag nandiyan, drug lord ka rin e. Mapipilitan ako. Bakit ka nagprotektar?”
In a statement released after Duterte announced Espenido’s Iloilo reassignment, Mabilog vowed to work with the police official in addressing the illegal drug problem.
“I welcome the reassignment of Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido here in Iloilo, although it’s not clear yet if it’s in the city or province,” stated Mabilog.
He hoped Espenido “will help us completely solve the problem on illegal drugs. Surely, we can all learn from his experience in fighting illegal drugs, especially in identifying new players and where they hide.”
According to Mablog, he would also share with Espenido “our own strategies and compare notes on how to win this war at the barangay level.”
“Our minds are open to ideas on how to further strengthen our campaign against illegal drugs. I look forward to working side by side with Chief Inspector Espenido as the President’s point man in the battle against illegal drugs in Iloilo, both city and province,” stated the Mayor.
The mayor refused to provide further comment.
“Indi na lang anay, please,” he told Panay News in a text message. “Hasta na lang didto.”
Duterte’s confirmation that Mabilog remains in his drug list came some three weeks after the former director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Region 6, Atty. Gil Pabilona, said the city mayor and other elected city officials were not in their watch list or protecting drug personalities in the metropolis.
Pabilona further said the city government, and especially Mabilog, was on the right track in clearing the city of illegal drugs.
A week after making these pronouncements, Pabilona was removed from PDEA-6./PN
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