By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas hinted at a possible political comeback if a “drug protector and financer” also returns to politics.
“I will take a break for now, but if the protector and financer return, I will return too,” he said during the kickoff campaign of his party, Team Uswag, on Friday, March 28.
While he did not name anyone specifically, Treñas’ remarks appeared to refer to former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.
During Mabilog’s term in 2016, former President Rodrigo Duterte controversially labeled Iloilo City as the “most shabulized” city in the country, accusing the then-mayor of having links to the illegal drug trade.
Amid threats to his and his family’s safety, Mabilog went into self-imposed exile in 2017 and returned to the country in 2024.
Treñas recalled the challenges he faced when he assumed office in 2019 following Duterte’s accusations against the city.
“I struggled. When I took office in 2019, it was difficult. Why? Because our city was labeled as the most shabulized city in the Philippines,” he said.
The mayor firmly declared his determination to prevent a repeat of the city’s tarnished reputation.
“I am sure that our people do not want their children to be affected by drugs. They want to come back to bring back the drugs. Not anymore. Never again. Never again,” Treñas emphasized.
He also criticized Mabilog’s branding of himself as a “world mayor” despite the city’s controversial label during his term.
Mabilog, however, has consistently denied the allegations, citing data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police showing that Iloilo Province ranked 79th out of 81 provinces and Iloilo City 51st out of 27 highly urbanized cities in drug activity.
Police Regional Office 6 Director Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky also dismissed the “shabulized” label, noting that Iloilo ranked low in drug apprehensions compared to other cities.
No cases were filed against Mabilog related to illegal drugs.
