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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Presidential photo) MANILA - President Rodrigo R. Duterte thinks former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, whom he accused of protecting drug lords, will be in hiding for another six years. Duterte made this remark as he lamented anew about the true extent and nature of drug use in the country. "Kaya sabi ko 'di ba (That's why I said, right)? I'm fighting drugs, I never realized that I would be fighting my own government, pati sa Customs, lahat (even the Customs, everything)," he said in a speech after witnessing the lowering of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) of Metro Manila Subway Project in Valenzuela City on Sunday. He cited Mabilog as an example of local officials who have benefitted from the drug war, noting again that his house is "like a palace." "Pati si Mayor Mabilog. Iyong mayor ng Iloilo, tingnan mo ang p***** i***** bahay parang palasyo (Even Mayor Mabilog. The [former] mayor of iloilo. Look at his house, it's like a palace)" he said. Duterte said Mabilog will probably stay in exile unless the government is led by opposition leaders. "Sabi ko, tanong siya kay Bong, 'Bong, galit ba si Mayor sa akin?' Sabi ko, 'Sabihin mo Bong, siya na ang isusunod ko.' Kaya lumayas, hindi na bumalik, lalo na ang another six years siya. Siguro 'pag nanalo 'yung kabila (I asked Bong, 'Bong, is the Mayor mad at me?' I said, 'Tell him Bong, he will be next.' That is why he left and didn't come back. He might not be back in six years. Perhaps if the opposition wins), he will find a refuge," he added. Meanwhile, Duterte noted that dealing with the country's drug problem should not be done lightly. "How do you deal with the drug problem? Soft-spoken ka? Hijo, huwag ka nang mag... Hindi nadadala 'yang mga drug lords? Mas mabuti pa diretso (You are soft-spoken? Son, drug lords never learn. It's better to run after them directly)," he said. Duterte accused Mabilog of protecting the alleged drug syndicate of Melvin Odicta, the alleged drug lord who was killed in 2017. Mabilog has not returned to the country after attending a disaster management summit in Japan and an urban environment accords forum in Malaysia in 2017. His wife and children also left the country. In October 2017, Mabilog was removed administratively by the Office of the Ombudsman for failing to fully declare his wealth. The Court of Appeals reversed the decision in a 2021 ruling, but Duterte continued to tag him as one of many government officials involved in drugs. (PNA) }
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