Arnell Ignacio speaks out after his firing as OWWA Administrator
Arnell: “Sinunod namin ang lahat ng mga requirements at ito ay nakapasa.”
Former OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio addresses the alleged anomalous PHP 1.4-B land deal that he is now being connected to. He tells OFWs: “I have been serving, hindi ko kayo pinagtaksilan. Ginawa ko lang ito para sa inyong pagmamahal, at wala po akong kinita dito.”
PHOTO/S: Courtesy: Facebook
Humarap na sa media ang natanggal na Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator na si Arnell Ignacio.
Sa report ng GMANetwork.com noong nakaraang Biyernes, May 16, 2025, inihayag ni Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac na tinanggal sa puwesto si Ignacio dahil sa “loss of trust and confidence.”
Ito ay matapos pumasok diumano si Ignacio sa isang maanomalyang PHP1.4-billion land-acquisition deal na hindi raw dumaan sa tamang proseso.
“Former administrator Ignacio did not resign from office. He was removed and replaced on the count of loss of trust and confidence due to an anomalous PHP1.4 billion land acquisition deal that did not go through the OWWA Board of Trustees on at least six counts,” ani Cacdac.
Dagdag pa sa ulat, nakasaad sa batas na dapat aprubado ng Board ang mga katulad ng transaksyong pinasok ni Ignacio.
Ayon kay Cacdac, “He did not… inform the Board on at least six counts, on six matters, surrounding the PHP1.4 land-acquisition deal.”
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Ang nasabing transaksiyon ay may kaugnayan sa accommodations ng Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), na sabi ni Cacdac ay hindi kailangan.
Aniya, “Dapat kinonsulta muna niya ang OWWA Board doon pa lang. Kasi ako mismo, pagsasabihan ko siya na di kailangan yun because the private sector can secure mga accommodation requirements kung mayroong kailangang i-billet na OFWs.”
Pumasok daw si Ignacio sa nasabing kasunduan noong September 2024.
Saad pa Cacdac: “Pero yung proyekto that spurred or brought on the land-acquisition deal dates back to September 2023. Pinlano na nila noong September 2023, and then yung land acquisition, deed of sale, absolute sale — September 2024.”
Maari namang maharap sa reklamo si Ignacio.
ARNELL IGNACIO EXPLAINS SIDE ON THE ISSUE
Sa isang press conference kahapon, May 23, 2025, ipinaliwanag ni Ignacio ang kanyang panig.
Arnell Ignacio at a press conference explaining his side on the supposed anomalous land deal.
Photo/s: Courtesy: Facebook
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Ayon sa kanya, noong pumutok ang isyu, minabuti niya munang huwag magsalita dahil nagulat din daw siya.
Kasunod nito ay inihayag na niya ang kanyang panig sa isyu.
Sabi ni Arnell, “So, well, so gusto ko lang sa inyong isalaysay ang totoo. Ito pong pinag-uusapan natin, itong umiikot at, ah, sinasabing transaction, 2018 pa ho ito nagsimula.
“Ako pa lang ay DA [Deputy Administrator] at ang aming secretary ngayon ay siya ang administrator.
“So, naisulong na ho ito. Nai-propose. And then, napag-usapan din ito sa Senado, ah, noong ako ay nag-apela kung paano ako magkakaroon ng flexibility sa funds.
“So, we worked with the DBM, the Department of Budget and Management, na nagbigay sa amin ng guidance kung paano magkakaroon ng modification ang funds namin.
“So, sinunod namin ang lahat ng mga requirements at ito ay nakapasa.
“Nabigyan kami ng Special Allotment Release Order. At nagtuluy-tuloy ang proseso hanggang sa na-acquire yung lupa.
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“Ito po ay dinala namin sa Board. Dinala namin sa Board bilang report ng OWWA, at binusisi ng ilang technical working group, na binuo rin po ng aming chairman na si Chairman-Secretary Hans Cacdac, na kaibigan ko. Kaibigan ko.
“Walang nakitang iniliban na hakbang. Lahat ng mga requirements sinunod, at sinabing maayos ang aming pagkakasunod sa RA 10752.”
Ang RA 10752 ay “an act facilitating the acquisition of right-of-way site or location for national government infrastructure projects.”
Dagdag pa niya, “So, ito po ang… kaya ho ako gulat na gulat na tinawag itong anomalous deal.
“So, ito po ang katotohanang kuwento. So, kaya ho ako nagugulat sa mga pangyayari.”
ARNELL: “a legacy project for our OFWs.”
Hindi na raw bago ang panukalang proyektong ito na malaki sana ang magiging pakinabang para sa OFWs.
Dagdag ni Arnell, “Noong 2018 pa lang, isinulong na ito. Kaya nung sinasabi na hindi ito bagay sa OFW, nagulat ako.
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“Since this is… this is a project that we can consider a legacy project for our OFWs.
“Ang lupang ito katabing-katabi lamang, katapat ng Terminal 1, 6,499 square meters.
“At, makakapagtayo tayo doon ng — at least sa aming vision — paraiso nila, e.
“Ang nakakalungkot at nakakabigat ng dibdib, imbes na ito… papunta na tayo doon sa makita natin na mabuo ito, narito tayo, ito ang pinag-uusapan natin.
“Iyon ang napakabigat. Pagkatapos, napakaraming allegation sa akin. Saan nanggaling?
“Sa isang papel na walang nakapirma, na andami-daming sinabi na kinita ko. Hindi… pati nga yung, yung numero, hindi na nga magkasundo kung magkano.
“But let me tell you—to the OFWs I have been serving, hindi ko kayo pinagtaksilan.
“Ginawa ko lang ito para sa inyong pagmamahal, at wala po akong kinita dito.
“Walang ganun ito because Landbank, Landbank po ang nag-assess nito.
“As our, ah, government financial institution, it’s the Landbank who assessed the value, and it is exactly the amount that OWWA paid.
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“So, hindi ko ho maintindihan kung, kung bakit kailangang araw-arawin ako, na kaliwa’t kanan na kausapin kayong lahat, na paulit-ulit sasabihin na may anomalya ang aking ginawa.
“At sana naman lang binigyan ako ng pagkakataong makausap.
“Nagulat na nga lang po ako na isang araw pinatawag ako na ako ay papalitan.
“So, yun po ang nangyari dito. Hindi po, hindi ko po ito itinago.
“Sa ito pong ganitong kagandang transaction, bakit namin itatago ito?
“Itong transaction na ‘to, o itong proyektong ito, ay gusto mong ibigay sa OFWs.
“Bakit, bakit po itatago ito? We were very, very transparent, each, each step of what we have been doing.
“Again, may I emphasize, it started in the Senate. It’s on record.”
Umaasa naman si Arnell na kahit papa’no ay magkakaroon ng kalinawan sa naratibong ibinabato sa kanya.
Dagdag ng dating komedyante at host: “I hope all the questions you have in mind ay nasasagot na ng aking narrative ngayon, because alam ko naman po yung, yung mga nasa isip ninyo.
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“Kaya minabuti na namin na on this day, eto na po, eto po yung kuwento. Eto po ang kuwento ng nangyari diyan.
“And one more thing, there’s an issue na ito daw binili namin na hindi raw puwedeng tayuan, sapagkat napakalapit sa… Meron po kaming permit sa CAAP.”
Ang CAAP ay ang Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
“Merong permit sa CAAP. Taxes, hindi po tayo nagbabayad ng taxes dito. Hindi po kami.
“So, lahat ng mga kuwento tungkol dyan, I am totally shocked at all the accusations.
“But, again, I would like to emphasize, I’d like to emphasize, nung dinala po namin ito sa Board at kami po ay binusisi, we were scrutinized, the technical working group came up with the report na sinunod, sinunod, sinunod lahat. Sinunod pong lahat.
“Kaya hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit itinawag na ganoon.”
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