Former Manila ex-officio councilor Leilani Lacuna on Tuesday filed criminal and administrative cases before the Office of the Ombudsman against city officials over her alleged illegal removal as Liga ng mga Barangay president.
“I filed a case against some Manila officials for illegally dismissing me. This did not go through due process. I am ex-officio of the Manila city council because I am the legitimate league president in Manila. They dismissed me, and this is what I am fighting for now,” she told reporters in Filipino.
Lacuna recalled that last month, a general assembly was held but the former league officials were not informed.
“In the general assembly they held, we were dismissed from our positions. There they said that all positions in the league were vacant. In reality, no one can dismiss us but the national league because the Manila league is under the national league in the Philippines. We have by-laws to follow and we follow laws on dismissal and holding elections, and changing the next president,” she explained.
Among the respondents in the case were Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso, Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, 5th District Councilor Jaybee Hizon, former Barangay Bureau officer-in-charge Joel Par, newly-elected league president Enriqueta Platon, as well as other newly-elected officers.
Lacuna filed criminal complaints for violation of Sec. 3 (e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, usurpation of official functions under Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).
She also filed administrative complaints for grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority. She likewise filed a petition at the Regional Trial Court of Manila.
Lacuna is the chairperson of Brgy. 609, Sta. Mesa, Manila and the sister of former Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan.
Domagoso and Lacuna-Pangan went head-to-head in the 2025 mayoralty race in Manila that resulted in a landslide victory of the actor-politician.
The Office of the City Mayor, for its part, said it will wait for the formal service of the complaint
“The City Government of Manila respects the will of 844 out of 896 barangay chairpersons who, among themselves, voted in favor of the new set of officers of the Liga ng mga Barangay. Such participation marks a historic turnout,” its statement read.
“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. Mere allegations are not synonymous with truth,” it added.
