Mabilog ousted as Iloilo City mayor
ILOILO CITY — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of controversial Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog for alleged unexplained wealth, in a case filed by former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada in 2014.
In a 13-page decision, Mabilog was found guilty of “serious dishonesty relative to his unlawful acquisition of wealth. Accordingly, he is meted the penalty of dismissal from the service.”
Rachel Cariaga-Favila, Ombudsman graft investigation and prosecution officer, signed the order on August 29, 2017 and was approved by Mechor Arthur Carandang, overall deputy Ombudsman, on October 6, 2017.
Mejorada, also a journalist, accused Mabilog of hiding the true sources of his income, which is allegedly in violation of the law on statement of assets liabilities and net worth (SALN).
Basing his complaint on Mabilog's SALN, Mejorada claimed that the increase of almost P9 million of the mayor's net worth was "manifestly disproportionate" to his income as a public official and constitutes unexplained wealth” within the purview of Republic Act 1379.
In his 2013 SALN, Mabilog showed his net worth at P68,341,622.50, compared to his 2012 SALN at P59,358,539.89, which means that, within a year, his net worth increased by P8,938,082.52.
Mabilog, in his earlier counteraffidavit, he said the charges that his wealth “was manifestly disproportionate to his income,” were malicious and conjectural. He said his family was already financially well off prior to his joining public office. He said he is a successful businessman and his wife's big salary in Canada would allow his family to live a good life.
The Ombudsman's ruling said however that Mabilog justified the increase in his net worth … but “he failed to present proof of income from the business interests disclosed in his SALNs.”
DUTERTE ON MABILOG
President Rodrigo Duterte had publicly named Mabilog as drug protector, with alleged links to the slain drug lord Melvin Odicta, Sr., an allegation that the mayor had denied.
Amid this controversy, Mabilog filed for sick leave from September 11 to 30, citing the safety of his family as primary reason—in deference to what happened to the Parohinogs in Ozamiz City—and then filed for an extended leave from October 1 to 30, and reported to have gone abroad for medical purpose.
His spokesperson, lawyer Mark Piad explained that Mabilog's continued stress is brought about by being singled out, which is aggravating his health condition. However, the mayor's whereabouts is still kept secret until now.
The camp of Mabilog admitted it was surprised upon learning of his dismissal through media reports only yesterday morning. Piad said they received no copy yet of the order, and that he immediately messaged the mayor about it. But until late yesterday afternoon, “he has yet to reply.”
Piad said: "We didn't expect that the Ombudsman would not appreciate the evidences we presented." He said they would file for a temporary restraining order, and then elevate the case to the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court. "We believe that all is not lost for Mayor Mabilog," he added.
CASE VS SERENIO
The Mabilog camp, meanwhile, said it will be filing criminal charges against self-confessed drug syndicate bagman Ricky Serenio, for implicating the mayor to the alleged illegal drug operations of slain suspected drug lord Odicta Sr.
"We are considering the filing of charges against him (Serenio) for perjury and libel," said Piad, adding that they are also studying if Serenio is liable under the provisions of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002).
Aside from Mabilog, Serenio, in his affidavit dated October 18, this year, also linked Senator Franklin Drilon and former Interior secretary Mar Roxas to Odicta and his latter's alleged drug operations in Western Visayas.
However Piad clarified the Mabilog's camp has not been with those of Drilon and Roxas over Serenio's accusations. "We are only preparing the case on the part of Mayor Mabilog," he said.
Earlier, Piad regarded Serenio's claims as "absurd allegations and a product of an imaginative moron . ... incredible and without proper factual basis." He also said: "We want to know who is the real author of these irresponsible allegations against Mayor Mabilog," he said.
It was deemed that Serenio anchored his claims against two Liberal Party stalwarts and Mabilog on the narrative of Odicta, who together with wife Meriam, were killed in Malay, Aklan in August last year. In a meeting with Odicta in 2015, Serenio alleged that Drilon and Roxas pushed Odicta to expand his operations to Negros Island to raise funds for the 2016 elections.
Serenio is a self-confessed bagman of the Beria Tolentino Drug Group operating in Negros Occidental. He was arrested sometime in January this year.
Roxas earlier dismissed Serenio's allegations as an attempt to malign him, Drilon and Mabilog in a bid to appease President Duterte, who was in Bacolod City over the weekend for the highlight of the MassKara Festival.