Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, and 13 other city officials are facing graft and usurpation of authority complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman, stemming from the alleged illegal removal of a Liga ng mga Barangay official.
The complaints were filed by Dr. Leilani Lacuna, the sister of former Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. She accuses the 15 officials of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) and Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code (Usurpation of Authority).
The core of the complaint details an alleged coordinated effort by the city officials to illegally oust Dr. Lacuna from her position as the Liga ng mga Barangay president, which automatically includes a seat as an ex-officio member of the Manila City Council.
Dr. Lacuna cited several alleged incidents in her filing, including the questioning of her Approved Travel Authority for a personal trip and actions taken by the Manila City Council to question her performance. She also claimed she was pressured to resign in a meeting with Vice Mayor Atienza.
In a statement released after filing the charges, Dr. Lacuna claimed the motive was “political vendetta and the establishment of a full-blown dictatorship in Manila to take control of the barangay budgets.” She further alleged that Domagoso and his allies “targeted the barangay captains using intimidation and various forms of harassment to remove me from office.”
The complaints at the Ombudsman follow an earlier petition filed by Dr. Lacuna and five other barangay chairpersons before the Manila Regional Trial Court, seeking to nullify their removal as officials of the Liga ng mga Barangay. Domagoso has yet to issue a public response to the allegations.
