Former Hugpong member runs under Marcos’ PFP
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 October) – Expelled from Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod founded by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2021, first district councilor Nilo “Small” Abellera Jr. is now seeking reelection under Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s current political party.
“Wala man ko nidagan didto kung wala ko nila… Mura og gisipa man ko nila didto [HTL] sa una (I wouldn’t have run there if they didn’t…It seems they kicked me out [from the HTL] back then),” Abellera told reporters after filing his certificate of candidacy Friday morning.
In 2021, Abellera was delisted from HTL, together with former city councilor Pamela Librado-Morata, as the party “believes that their ideals are not in line with the political party’s vision for Davao City and the Philippines.”
He and Librado-Morata were supposed to run in 2022 under HTL, but were forced to run as independent candidates after being delisted. Official ballots that time still marked them as HTL bets.
Only Abellera won a seat, but was not given a committee to lead in the council.
He was also not given access to Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s state of the city address in 2023 and 2024 for undisclosed reasons.
He said that if he wins, he will “continue his projects and continue our true service to Dabawenyos” despite not being backed by the Dutertes.
He said he sees no advantages running under PFP, Marcos’ party, as it is the people who will decide.
“Ang mga tao ma’y makadesisyon, dili ang partido. Bisan unsa pa man ang imong partido, kung dili ganahan sa imoha ang tao, then… I don’t think ang partido ang dapat basehan, dapat ang kandidato (It’s the people who will decide, not the party. No matter what your party is, if the people don’t like you, then… I don’t think the party should be the basis for voting, it should be the candidate),” he said.
He showed reporters a certification of nomination and appearance dated October 3 that he is a nominee from PFP, signed by his cousin, Mindanao Development Authority chair and the Mindanao party chair Leo Tereso Magno.
Asked who he will support for mayor, vice mayor, and councilors, he replied “it is a party decision” and that he only ran as a PFP member.
Abellera ran as city councilor under HTL and won in 2010, 2013, and 2016, then ran and won again in 2022.
Members of the Abellera family, led by its patriarch and former city councilor Nilo Sr., were known close friends of the Dutertes.
The younger Abellera was implicated in the alleged smuggling of illegal drugs in Davao City through the Bureau of Customs as part of the so-called Davao Group, together with first district Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, husband of vice president Sara Duterte lawyer Mans Carpio, Pompey “Jack” Perez, Allen “Big Brother” Capuyan, Charlie Tan, Teofilo Joseph “Jojo” Bacud, Neil Anthony Estrella, former Customs commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon, Nanie “Tita Nanie” C. Coronacion, one Jane Doe, and one John Doe.
During a Senate hearing in 2017, he was accused of receiving a P5-million “enrollment fee” from customs fixer Mark Taguba to ensure shipments would pass through customs without inspection.
Taguba was one of those convicted in connection with a P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China in 2017 that was discovered inside five metal cylinders in Valenzuela City. (Ian Carl Espinosa/MindaNews)
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