Leilani Lacuna has filed complaints against Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and other officials over her alleged illegal removal as Liga ng mga Barangay president. She accused them of graft and usurpation of authority. The action stems from tensions following the 2025 elections.
On December 2, Leilani Lacuna, former Manila ex-officio councilor and sister of ex-Mayor Honey Lacuna, filed criminal and administrative complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman against Mayor Isko Moreno, Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, and 13 other city officials.
She accused the respondents of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and usurpation of authority under the Revised Penal Code due to her removal as Liga ng mga Barangay president. Lacuna, former chair of Barangay 609 in Sta. Mesa, claimed it was motivated by "political vendetta" to seize barangay budgets and establish a "complete dictatorship in Manila."
"Domagoso and his accomplices will be held accountable under the law for the brazen violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and for the criminal seizure of power," she said in a statement.
Separately, she and five barangay chairpersons filed a civil petition in the Manila Regional Trial Court to nullify their removal from the Liga and her ouster as ex-officio councilor representing Manila's 897 barangays.
The Office of the Mayor responded that it awaits formal service of the complaint but stressed that the Liga leadership election reflected the will of 844 out of 896 barangay chairpersons. "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," the statement read. It added that claims of intimidation are "an insult to their intelligence. Mere allegations are not synonymous with truth."
This dispute arises from the 2025 mayoral race where Moreno defeated Honey Lacuna with 529,507 votes, while Atienza won as vice mayor with 582,510 votes.