Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac expressed dissatisfaction with the justification offered by former Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Arnell Ignacio over a controversial ₱1.4 billion land deal.
“The reasons I heard were not enough, were not justifiable reasons and that is why I made the report to the President,” Cacdac stated an ABS-CBN News report.
Ignacio, along with Deputy Administrator Emma Sinclair, was removed from office following the unauthorized transaction made in September 2024. According to Cacdac, the directive to replace the two officials came directly from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
DMW Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan has been appointed as the new OWWA administrator.
Cacdac, who previously served as OWWA head himself, emphasized the need to restore public trust in the agency. “Galing din ako sa OWWA kaya’t kailangan na manumbalik yung tiwala at yung good governance na tinatawag,” he said.
The controversial deal involved plans to construct a halfway house for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—a project Cacdac said was not even viable. “If you asked the board at that point, then we would have said… let the private sector accommodate,” he noted. “It’s not feasible for OWWA to setup a halfway house to begin with. So it raised so many significant red flags.”
An internal probe revealed that the land acquisition was made without the approval of the OWWA Board of Trustees. “We conducted our own investigation… there are even six items in all that failed to go through the OWWA board,” Cacdac revealed.
While the ₱1.4 billion came from OWWA’s budget allocation, the trust fund made up of OFW contributions remains untouched. Cacdac said that while that offers some relief, accountability is still essential.
He also hinted at potential legal action: “Let me just say that when it comes to Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, there are many grounds or kinds of cases you could file under that law.”
