MAGALANG, Pampanga — The United Pilipinos Against Crime and Corruption (UPACC) on Thursday, Oct. 1, filed multiple complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Magalang Mayor Malu Lacson and 10 other local officials and individuals over allegations of graft and corruption, conflict of interest, abuse of authority, and unexplained wealth.
Named as respondents in the complaints were municipal administrator Norman Lacson, municipal environment and natural resources officer Pablo Elmer Mercado, municipal councilor Ruben Miranda, Barangay Navaling chairman Juanito Napo, and and members of the Magalang Task Force, including Dr. Inold Cruz, Eduardo Torno, Engr. Jesus Nathaniell Pili, and Rizalino Ocampo.
Also included were Jose Tiburcio Canlas, an accountant with the City of San Fernando, and the mayor’s husband Odilon Lacson, treasurer of Kingsmen Manpower and General Services Inc.
UPACC chairperson Pyra Lucas said the complaints were related to the alleged illegal operations of Chuangxing Steel Corp., which was raided by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Lucas said several workers of Chuangxing Steel, who were employed through Kingsmen Manpower and Bantayan Manpower Agency, had sought UPACC’s assistance over alleged mistreatment and violations of their labor rights.
She also alleged that documents obtained by the group showed that Mayor Lacson and some of the other respondents owned Kingsmen Manpower, which UPACC said could constitute a conflict of interest.
Lucas further claimed that a Senate investigation found Kingsmen Manpower was not accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment. She said the company’s deployment of workers to Chuangxing Steel could therefore constitute a violation of the law against illegal recruitment.
Another issue raised in the complaints was the alleged illegal reclassification of the land occupied by Chuangxing Steel in Barangay Navaling. According to Lucas, the area was originally classified as residential, and no land conversion order had been issued before it was allegedly turned into an industrial site.
UPACC also asked the Ombudsman to investigate what Lucas described as the mayor’s unexplained wealth. She alleged that Lacson’s declared assets increased tenfold over a three-year period and that her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2022 to 2025 exceeded P154 million.
Lucas said the amount appeared disproportionate to the mayor’s government salary and claimed that Lacson’s declared assets were higher than those reported by Vice President Sara Duterte. She called for an investigation into the source of the mayor’s wealth.
The group also asked the Ombudsman to immediately suspend Lacson and the other respondents while the complaints are being investigated.
