Former Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog speaks during the House Quad Comm hearing into illegal POGOs, illegal drugs, and alleged EJKs during the Duterte administration on September 19, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Camilo Cascolan was the general who warned former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog to not come home from Japan as his life was in danger, according to a lawmaker.

Cascolan also supposedly warned Mabilog that if he comes, he will be forced to tag former Liberal Party (LP) senators Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon as drug lords. 

This was the allegation of Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. to Teleradyo Serbisyo on Saturday. 

Abante is one of the co-chairs of the House quadruple committee, which is investigating the extrajudicial killings during the bloody war on drugs of the Duterte administration. 

Mabilog reveals alleged plan to force him to tag Roxas, Drilon as 'drug lords'

“I think I am at liberty now to tell that. Ito po si General Coscolan (sic),” Abante said. “Ito ang tumawag sa kanya upang sabihin sa kanya huwag kang uuwi ng Pilipinas.” 

Cascolan, however, died in 2023. 

“Yun ang nakakalungkot doon eh, hindi na namin puwedeng ipatawag dahil pumanaw na siya,” Abante said. 

Mabilog faced the quad comm on September 19 and gave his testimony. 

LP chairman Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, meanwhile, found the alleged plot against Roxas and Drilon as ridiculous.

“Sabi nga nila lahat ng problema ng bansa LP daw ang may kasalanan. ‘Yun naman ang gawain nila mula noon eh sa halip na sagutin ‘yung mga paratang sa kanila. LP daw ang may ouster plot kasama ang LP, na involved ang LP sa drugs. So, sirang plaka na ‘yun eh,” Pangilinan said.  

“Basta ‘yung mga kalaban nila sisirain nila, ‘yung mga katunggali nila, ‘yung mga bumabatikos sa kalokohan nila. Doon sila magaling, diba? Yung fake news at paninira,” the former senator added. 

Dela Rosa: Mabilog’s quad comm testimony part of ‘demolition job’

On the allegation of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa that what the quad comm is doing is a “fishing expedition” and “demolition job”, Abante said, “Ako naniniwala po ako sa War on Drugs pero ‘di naman po ako naniniwala na you have to kill more than 20,000 people para lamang po ma-address ang drug problem sa Pilipinas.” 

“Sa akin this is not politics. This is just in aid of legislation para makapag-craft  tayo ng legislation na hindi na po maulit ang napakaraming napatay na ito at napakaraming napagbintangan na mga public official na di naman nararapat,” he added.