Metro Manila, Philippines – Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso is facing graft complaints filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in light of an “illegal installation” of a new president of the city’s Liga ng mga Barangay and resulted in the ouster of his political rival’s sister from the post.
Leilani Lacuna, the sister of former Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, ally-turned-rival of Domagoso, accused Domagoso of corruption and usurpation of authority.
Vice Mayor Angela Atienza and 13 other local officials were also named respondents in the complaints.
Lacuna also filed administrative complaints for alleged grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority.
She cited incidents that “indubitably point to a concerted action and conspiracy to invalidate my election and holding of Office as LIGA President and remove me from office causing me undue injury by depriving me of salaries and benefits to which I am legally entitled.”
“Worse, the actuations of all respondents were done with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and inexcusable negligence,” she said in her complaint.
Ahead of the ombudsman filing, Lacuna and five other Manila barangay chairpersons also sought from the Manila Regional Trial Court the reversal of their removal from the village league, as well as Lacuna’s removal from the city council as ex-officio member.
In the petition, Lacuna said the mayor instructed Atienza to pressure her to resign.
“The motive is political vendetta, a bid for total domination of Manila in order to seize control of barangay budgets,” she said.
In a statement, the Manila public information office said Domagoso has yet to receive a copy of the complaint.
It said the city government respected the will of 844 out of 896 barangay chairpersons, marking their participation a “historic turnout.”
“To claim that this overwhelming majority were intimidated into participating in a duly constituted process to elect new officers of the Liga ng mga Barangay is an insult to their intelligence,” it said. “Mere allegations are not synonymous with truth.”
Lacuna said the special elections for a new set of officers of Manila’s Liga ng mga Barangay held on Nov. 10 violated the law and had no legal basis.
During the Nov. 10 elections, Councilor Enriqueta Platon obtained 844 votes to become the organization’s president. The new set of officers took oath before Domagoso the day after.
