Marcos Appoints Former Iloilo Mayor Jed Mabilog, Who Was Dismissed by Supreme Court and Faced Graft Charges, as DILG Undersecretary

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed former Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog as undersecretary for public safety at the Department of the Interior and Local Government on May 13, 2026. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla administered the oath to Mabilog on the morning of May 13.

Mabilog confirmed his appointment in a statement sent to the media on the evening of May 13. “I likewise pledge my full support in advancing the vision and programs of President Marcos under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda,” Mabilog said. Remulla stated that the appointment came after President Marcos Jr.

Granted executive clemency to Mabilog in January 2025 in relation to his administrative case. “The injustice he went through will fuel his desire to level the playing field in local governance. Not revenge but reform,” Remulla said.

Mabilog left the country in August 2017 after then-president Rodrigo Duterte accused him of being involved in the illegal drug trade in Iloilo. In August 2017, Duterte swore to put Mabilog on his list of high-profile drug suspects. Prior to Mabilog's departure in 2017, Duterte announced the reassignment of Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido to Iloilo, where Espenido was assigned the role of chasing after mayors with alleged links to illegal drugs.

For seven years, Mabilog went into self-imposed exile in the United States where he sought asylum. In October 2017, the Office of the Ombudsman sought the dismissal of Mabilog for having a pecuniary interest in a towing services company contracted by the city government. Mabilog fought his dismissal up to the Supreme Court in July 2019.