Jed Patrick Escalante Mabilog (born September 20, 1965) is a Filipino politician who previously served as the

Mayor of Iloilo City The mayor of Iloilo City () is the head of the executive branch of government in Iloilo City, in the Philippines. The mayor holds office at the Iloilo City Hall in Iloilo City Proper. The mayor can serve for three consecutive terms only, although ...

from 2010 to 2017. He also previously served as vice mayor from 2007 to 2010. In August 2017, Mabilog left the office of mayor and went into self-imposed exile due to threats to his life arising from accusations of being a drug protector during the Duterte administration. In September 2024, he returned to the Philippines and worked to clear his name. He was granted

executive clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

by President

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

in January 2025.

Early life and education

Mabilog was born on September 20, 1965, and is the fifth of ten children of Jose Chavez Mabilog, a

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

, and Melchorita Conlu Locsin Escalante, a former barangay captain of Barangay Tap-oc in

Molo, Iloilo City Molo () is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the most densely populated district in the city. According to the 2020 census, Molo has a population of 76,393 people, making it the second-most populous district, after Jaro. Molo is o ...

. He attended

Assumption Iloilo Assumption Iloilo (also known as AC or Assumption Convent) is a private Catholic coeducational basic education institution run by the Sisters of the Religious of the Assumption in Iloilo City, Philippines. It was founded by the Assumption Siste ...

for elementary school and the University of the Philippines High School Iloilo (UPHSI) for high school. In 1986, he graduated from

West Visayas State University West Visayas State University (WVSU, referred to colloquially by locals as West; ) is a Public university, public Normal University, normal research university located in La Paz, Iloilo City, Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It was es ...

(WVSU) with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Biological Sciences. He subsequently enrolled in the same university to study medicine but left after three years. He later attended Ateneo de Manila University, where he earned a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

degree, and pursued a Master in Urban and Regional Planning at the

University of the Philippines Visayas The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV or UP Visayas) is a public university, public research university in Iloilo, Philippines. A constituent university of the University of the Philippines system, it teaches management, accountancy, ...

, as well as a

Doctor of Management The Doctor of Management (DM or DMgt) is an applied research doctorate (or professional practice doctorate) with a degree focus in management, leadership, and organizational topics."

degree at the

University of the Visayas The University of the Visayas (UV) is a private institution located in Cebu City, Philippines. It is the first school in the province of Cebu to attain university status. History Vicente Gullas (1898–1970) founded the University of the Visa ...

Political career

Mabilog's public service began during his college years when he was elected chairman of the

Kabataang Barangay A Sangguniang Kabataan (abbreviated as SK; ) is a community council that represents the youth in a barangay in the Philippines. Established to provide young people with a platform for civic engagement and participation in local governance, ...

. His political career started in 2004 when he ran for and won a seat as an Iloilo City Councilor. He ran for Vice Mayor of Iloilo City in 2007 and was elected to the position. In 2010, he ran for the mayoralty of Iloilo City and won against former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales. He served three terms until 2017.

Allegations and political exile in the United States (2017–2024)

On August 7, 2016, Mabilog was accused and threatened by then-Philippine President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

of being a drug protector. Duterte even questioned Mabilog's residence in Molo, Iloilo City, describing it as “more grandiose” than Malacañang, which raised questions about his wealth. The allegation was categorically denied by Mabilog. He fled to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on August 30, 2017, after attending a disaster management program in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and an urban environment accords forum in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. He did not return, leaving the office of mayor of Iloilo City vacant. The

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

ordered the dismissal of Mabilog, and Vice Mayor

Jose Espinosa III Jose Sanson Espinosa III (born June 20, 1956), also known as Joe Espinosa III or simply Joe III, is a Filipino politician who served as mayor of Iloilo City from 2017 to 2019 and as vice mayor from 2010 to 2017. Early life Espinosa III was b ...

was appointed as the new mayor to serve the remainder of Mabilog's third term until 2019. Mabilog and his family subsequently filed for

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

in the United States and said that he would only return to the Philippines until Duterte left the presidency. In 2021, the

Court of Appeals An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellat ...

(CA) dismissed an administrative complaint filed against Mabilog in connection with his alleged unexplained wealth, which had been the basis for his removal from office in 2017.

Return to the Philippines

On September 10, 2024, Mabilog returned to the Philippines and surrendered himself to the National Bureau of Investigation to face graft charges. He was released on September 11 after posting bail. Mabilog appeared in an inquiry by the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Quad-Committee that he exiled himself due to threats to his life during the Duterte administration and that there was a plan to implicate him, 2016 presidential candidate and former Interior and Local Government Secretary

Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...

, and Mabilog's cousin, former Senator

Franklin Drilon Franklin Magtunao Drilon (; born November 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and former politician. He has served thrice as president of the Senate: in 2000, from 2001 to 2006, and from 2013 to 2016. Having also served as Senate president pro te ...

, as drug lords.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA, ; Filipino: ''Ahensiya ng Pilipinas sa Pagpapatupad ng Batas Laban sa Bawal na Gamot'') is the lead anti-drug law enforcement agency, responsible for preventing, investigating and combating any d ...

(PDEA) Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo also confirmed that Mabilog was never included in the PDEA's narcotics drug list under the Duterte administration, despite his name appearing on the list produced by Duterte, alongside other political figures allegedly involved in illegal drugs. On September 20, 2024, Mabilog returned to

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

after seven years of hiding. In January 2025, he was granted

by President

Special Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

On May 1, 2025, former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog was appointed Special Adviser to House Speaker

Martin Romualdez Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez (, born November 14, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, lawyer, and politician who has served as the 24th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, speaker of the House of Representatives since 2 ...

. His appointment was officially confirmed through a memorandum signed by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco. The announcement was made public during the *miting de avance* of Team Sulong Gugma on May 10, 2025, where Mabilog served as campaign manager for the local party led by Iloilo City's lone district Representative

Julienne Baronda Julienne "Jam-Jam" Linaogo Baronda (born February 16, 1979), is a Filipino politician who is currently serving as congresswoman of the lone legislative district of Iloilo City since 2019. Public service Baronda's public service started in 199 ...

. According to the memorandum, "Mabilog’s contributions and insights in his field of expertise will be crucial for enhancing our legislative agenda for the House of Representatives." As special adviser, he is expected to provide expert advice, strategic guidance, and support on legislative, political, and administrative matters to the Speaker. Further details about his specific responsibilities have not yet been disclosed. Representative Baronda expressed her support for the appointment, saying: “Thank you, Speaker Martin Romualdez, for trusting former Mayor Jed Mabilog and giving him the opportunity to contribute his insights and expertise for the betterment of Iloilo City and our nation. As an Ilongga and fellow public servant, I am proud to stand beside leaders who continue to uplift our people through honest and strategic leadership.”

Personal life

Mabilog is married to Marivic Griengo-Mabilog, who is the vice president for finance and comptroller of a geodetic engineering firm in

Alberta, Canada Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. They have two children and maintain their residence in Molo. Mabilog is also a

second cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, ...

of former Senator

Accolades

In 2014, Mabilog was named as "top 5 best and outstanding mayor in the world" in the 2014

World Mayor World Mayor is a biennial award organized by the City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of c ...

awards. He was the only local chief executive from the Philippines to make it to the shortlist of 26 finalists from a total of 121 nominations around the world.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Mabilog, Jed Patrick 1965 births Living people People from Iloilo City Hiligaynon people Visayan people Filipino Roman Catholics Filipino expatriates in the United States Filipino exiles Mayors of Iloilo City