DMW files plunder raps vs ex-OWWA chief Arnell Ignacio, 8 others over land deal

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Tuesday filed plunder and graft charges against former Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Arnell Ignacio and eight others over the controversial P1.4-billion land acquisition deal.

Filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, the complaint also accused Ignacio, his two former deputies at OWWA, and six individuals who belong to the seller group of malversation of public funds.

The DMW said the complaint stemmed from the purchase of a 1.5-hectare property near Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in September 2024, on which a halfway house for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would be constructed.

However, the DMW said that the property's close proximity to the airport runway made it unsuitable for development.

The DMW added that OWWA’s board of directors was not consulted and did not authorize the contract to sell, the deed of sale, and the supplemental agreement in connection with the purchase of the property.

Vouchers and checks were also signed prior to the deed of sale, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said.

Ignacio, who was removed from his post, denied in May that the land sale was anomalous and that he profited from it. —VBL, GMA Integrated News