THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced on Tuesday, July 29, its intention to file a graft complaint against former Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnell Ignacio, two former deputy administrators, and several other individuals involved in an unauthorized P1.4-billion land deal.
DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac stated that the complaint, encompassing violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and other laws, is scheduled to be filed with the Ombudsman this week.
The DMW will also file charges against ten additional individuals, including those who sold the land, identified as “indispensable parties to this case.”
Ignacio and his deputy administrators were dismissed in May due to the September 2024 land acquisition, which allegedly bypassed the OWWA Board of Trustees.
Ignacio maintains that the 6,499-square-meter property, located near NAIA Terminal 1, was intended for a halfway house for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) – a plan rejected by Cacdac.
Cacdac stated that the project was not feasible for OWWA and raised significant red flags, adding that only OWWA’s budget allocation, not the OFW contribution trust fund, was used in the transaction.
Ignacio, however, claims discussions regarding the land acquisition began in 2018, when he was a deputy administrator, and that the project received Senate approval and guidance from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on legally reallocating funds.
He asserts that all requirements were met, a Special Allotment Release Order was issued, and the land acquisition proceeded legally. He denies any personal gain from the transaction and maintains his actions were intended to benefit OFWs.
