The Office of the Ombudsman has filed a civil case in the Sandiganbayan for the forfeiture of P24 million in alleged ill-gotten wealth amassed by former Manila Vice Mayor Danilo Lacuna and his wife Melanie.
Lacuna was the city’s vice mayor from 1988 to 1992 and again in 1998 until 2004.
In its petition, the Office of the Ombudsman said the former official’s accumulated assets from 1998 to 2004 were grossly disproportionate to his income.
At the same time, it asked the antigraft court to issue a writ of attachment that would effectively freeze the couple’s assets and property.
“For a period of almost seven years with only his salary and that of his spouse as their only known legitimate income, respondent was able
to accumulate unexplained wealth amounting to at least P24,067,668.84,” it said.
The Lacunas’ assets consisted of houses and parcels of land, vehicles and stocks.
The Office of the Ombudsman noted that the former vice mayor’s assets in 2004 amounted to P31.21 million while his assets in 1998 totaled only P7.658 million, an increase of over P23 million.
On the other hand, the couple’s total annual income for the same period was P5.288 million while their total expenses were P2.241 million, giving them a net income of P3.046 million, it further pointed out. It said that the former official’s total legitimate income could not have covered his total expenses and accumulated assets.
The Office of the Ombudsman also said in its petition that Lacuna’s net worth substantially rose when he was vice mayor and that the increases were usually in the millions.
It noted that from 2000 to 2001, his net worth jumped from P1.18 million to P5.829 million, while from 2003 to 2004, it went from P310,000 to P8.015 million.
The Office of the Ombudsman also listed several property that it said the Lacunas could not have acquired legitimately based on their combined income.
The first referred to the improvements on a house and lot in Sta. Mesa, Manila, made in 2001. The improvements were worth P4.586 million.
The other were a P7.2 million house and lot in Sampaloc, Manila, acquired in 1999, and a lot in Tagaytay worth P2.8 million which was acquired in 2000, it said.