MANILA – Migrant workers demand a full and comprehensive audit of funds following the dismissal of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) official over an anomalous P1.4 billion land acquisition in September 2024.

OWWA Deputy Administrator Arnell Ignacio was reportedly removed from office because of anomalies in connection with a land acquisition deal that did not have the authorization of the OWWA Board of Trustees. The land deal was supposedly dedicated for the accommodation of overseas Filipino workers during the pandemic but was deemed unsustainable for development since it is near the airport’s runway. 

In a press conference last Friday, May 23, Ignacio claimed that the land deal went through ‘proper channels’ and that there have been official discussions on the transaction in the Senate as well as the Department of Budget and Management in 2018. This was when he was still the OWWA deputy administrator and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac was administrator. 

On the other hand, Cacdac, in an interview with the ANC, does not recall any of the talks, and said that the basis of the land acquisition project was the global pandemic three years ago. 

Migrant workers groups on the other hand are demanding for the DMW to formally file charges against Ignacio as soon as possible, and to conduct a full and comprehensive audit of OWWA funds.

According to  United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL)-Migrante Hong Kong, Ignacio also committed various violations to the provisions of OWWA, including transferring a portion of the allocated budget of the repatriation fund, which is dedicated to assist with the return of OFWs, especially in areas of crisis or emergency. 

Cacdac also revealed that the 6,499-square meter lot near Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was allegedly being leased to private individuals instead of its intended purpose. Unfortunately, the administration was informed of this only after the transaction had been completed. 

Both Cacdac and UNIFIL-Migrante Hong Kong lamented that OWWA also had to shoulder the P36 million local transfer tax which, according to the deed of absolute sale, should have been paid by the seller. If calculated, the land purchased by Ignacio amounts to over P215,000 (3,857.53 USD) per square meter, a huge amount that should have been instead allocated directly to services for OFWs.

“There must be a full and comprehensive audit of OWWA’s funds because OFWs and the Filipino people have the right to ensure that public funds are used properly and not squandered,” said UNIFIL-Migrante chairperson Dolores Balladares.

“Those who plunder the money of OFWs must be held accountable and imprisoned,” she concluded. (AMU, RVO)