LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan is once again facing a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.On Feb. 9, 2022, Chan was also sued by seven barangay captains of Lapu-Lapu City for allegedly spending over P47 million to buy food and non-food relief items from a supplier identified as a furniture exporter.In the latest complaint, Chan and City Social Welfare and Development Officer (CSWDO) Junard Abalos were accused by 18 child development workers of “abuse of authority, oppression and violation of Republic Act 6972 or the Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection Act.”The complaint was received by the anti-graft office on Thursday, March 3, 2022.The complainants are Chona Orimaco (Basak), Elvie Masapequina (Ibo), Margarita Bargamento (Punta Engaño), Angelita Jumao-as (Subabasbas), Joseph Igot (Buaya), Ma. Gemma Boyonas (Buaya), Anna Lizza Patalinghug (Gun-ob), Carmen Cadena (Gun-ob), Vilma Rollon (Gun-ob), Ziaxylid Pangatungan (Maribago), Elbin Calma (Maribago), Chanda Ligan (Basak), Nola Amodia (Basak), Marlon Cosep (Bankal), Jennifer Labastida (Bankal), Estrella Casio (Bankal), Rutchell Tumulak (Babag), and Roxanne Tumulak (Babag).The child development workers cried foul when their names were removed from the payroll of the city government for the month of December 2021 “without any valid reason.”They stated in the complaint that the City government had been giving honorarium to the complainants every month since their employment as child development workers in different barangays.“In fact, the Office of the City Mayor issued Executive Order 2021-003 dated Jan. 8, 2021 granting our honorarium pay from January to December 2021 to all 81 day care workers,” reads a portion of the complaint.The complainants said they tried to find out the reason why their names were removed from the payroll and even inquired with Abalos, officer-in-charge of the CSWDO.According to the complainants, Abalos only said that Mayor Chan was very angry about Orimaco, Igot and Jumao-as visiting the office of Rep. Paz Radaza before the Christmas party of the city’s Association of Day Care Workers.“We then recalled that sometime on Dec. 8, 2021, Mr. Junard Abalos called us up and berated us why we visited the office of Congresswoman Paz Radaza and accepted Christmas gifts for our association considering that she was the opponent of the incumbent Mayor Junard Chan for the election of 2022,” the complaint further read.The complainants added that Chan himself told them that they should not see Radaza since she is the opponent of the sitting mayor.“Such visit is viewed by him as a support for the candidacy of the congresswoman Radaza,” said the complainants.The acts of both Abalos and Chan in deliberately withholding the honorarium clearly depicts acts of abuse of authority punishable under Section 60 of the Local Government Code of 1991, said the complainants.The complainants also asserted that RA 6972 states that all Barangay Day Care workers shall receive an allowance of not less than P500 from the CSWDO and it is the duty of Abalos to make sure that the day care workers are paid their honorariums.Lawyer James Sayson, officer-in-charge of the City Legal Office, said they had not received a copy of the official complaint.Sayson said Chan will provide his response once the Office of the Ombudsman furnishes their camp with a copy of the complaint.Last Jan. 17, a group of 6,942 residents of Lapu-Lapu City also asked the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to compel Chan and other City Hall officials to provide information concerning the distribution of cash assistance for Typhoon Odette (Rai) victims.In recent interviews, Chan said he was expecting more allegations and issues to be thrown against him especially with the May 2022 elections fast approaching.