Actress and Barangay Longos Captain Angelika Dela Cruz is facing a slew of criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman — including a plunder case involving over ₱70 million in allegedly misused public funds.
The charges come just weeks ahead of the May 2025 elections, where the actress-politician is running for vice mayor of Malabon City.
In a Facebook post on Monday night, April 28, Dela Cruz addressed the controversy in a strongly worded and emotional statement, suggesting the charges were politically motivated.
“Grabe talaga ang politics. Pag hindi nila nakuha ang gusto nila, sa siraan. Next step, kakasuhan ka naman nila. Haayyy baka sa susunod niyan ipapatay n’yo ako ah,” she wrote.
The charges were filed by a certain Arman C. Ramos, who, according to local officials, is neither a resident nor a registered voter of Barangay Longos. The complaint accuses Dela Cruz of plunder under Republic Act No. 7080, as well as 62 counts of malversation of public funds, 18 counts of failure to render accounts, illegal use of public funds, and 64 counts of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019).
Aside from the criminal charges, Dela Cruz is also facing administrative complaints for alleged habitual absenteeism, dereliction of duty, and the unauthorized delegation of her responsibilities to her brother and barangay councilor, Erick Dela Cruz.
Erick and the barangay treasurer, Ernest Dela Cruz, were also named in the complaint. Erick faces charges of grave misconduct, while Ernest is being charged with illegal use of public funds and failure to render accounts.
While Angelika has not released an official legal response, her initial reaction indicates that she sees the allegations as part of a smear campaign linked to the upcoming elections.
Supporters of Dela Cruz have criticized the timing and source of the complaint, while her camp has yet to receive official copies of the charges.
