The newly appointed undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government is former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who previously left the country after being linked to the illegal drug trade in 2016.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Mabilog to the post, with the former mayor taking his oath before Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Wednesday.

In 2016, former president Rodrigo Duterte publicly identified Mabilog as a “major drug protector” as part of a list of public officials allegedly linked to the illegal drug trade.

In 2017, Mabilog was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman after being found guilty of serious dishonesty over the alleged unlawful acquisition of wealth amounting to P8.9 million from 2012 to 2013.

The ruling barred him from holding public office.

That same year, Mabilog flew to Japan before later securing political asylum in the United States, where he stayed for several years before returning to the Philippines in 2024.

Last year, Marcos granted Mabilog executive clemency in connection with the 2017 administrative case, allowing him to once again seek public office or hold government positions.