By Marita Moaje | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Tuesday said no one will be spared from the ongoing investigation into the P1.4-billion land deal entered into by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), calling it a matter of accountability and public trust.
Cacdac said in an interview during the Philippine-Czech Republic Friendship Week event at the DMW head office in Mandaluyong City, culpable people will be identified and no one is safe from the investigation, “Nobody is exempted or safe from this investigation. We will go as deep as we can, and as broad and wide as we can in terms of who are culpable in this particular transaction.”
He said the DMW is seriously scrutinizing alleged procedural lapses and lack of proper authorization in the land acquisition, near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Parañaque City, for a halfway house project for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) under former OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio.
He said that multiple violations may have occurred during the land purchase, which he said failed to secure the approval of the OWWA Board of Trustees.
Cacdac said that the DMW is still looking deeper into the issue, despite having submitted its report to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and launched internal audit, “Meron na rin kaming mga kaukulang report na nasumite sa Pangulo, Office of the President. But, of course, having said that, we are still, dahil nga, iba kasi ’yong senaryo na nandoon pa siya at ngayon nandiyan na si Admin PY (Patricia Yvonne Caunan). We could further dig deeper and look into the transaction. So, just afford us a bit more time to do so. We are still in the process of digging deeper and finding out more details, looking through documents, talking to personnel inside bakit ito nangyari, wala man lang abiso o anuman, whether formal or informal about this transaction, that too needs to be further looked into,” “..With new leadership at OWWA, we have more freedom to dig deeper.”
DMW Undersecretary Caunan was sworn into office as the new OWWA administrator on Friday.
He said he had already directed Caunan to protect both the OWWA Trust Fund, which is sourced from OFW contributions, and allocations from the national budget.
Malacañang said Monday that initial findings showed that the trust fund is untouched and there is no indication so far that it was used in the property transaction.
