PRESIDENT Marcos Jr has appointed Arnell Ignacio as head of the Overseas’ Worker Welfare Administration (OWWA), whose main mandate is to protect and promote the welfare of Filipinos working abroad, and their dependents.
Ignacio, a TV host and comedian before joining government, served as OWWA deputy administrator in 2018 but later resigned for personal reasons.
He was reappointed to the same post in September last year “and will now occupy the position of administrator,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said yesterday.
Ignacio replaces Hans Leo Cacdac.
Angeles said Cacdac has been named undersecretary for Welfare and Foreign Employment at the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) headed by Susan “Toots” Ople.
The DMW has administrative control over OWWA and the the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
Ople said new appointees to the DMW are “a mix of seasoned government officials and new faces who share a commitment to serve our OFWs.”
Also joining the DMW are POEA administrator Bernard Olalia as undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication
Angeles said Olalia will concurrently head the POEA as officer-in-charge “until the department (DMW) is deemed fully constituted on the approval of the 2023 budget.”
Olalia is a lawyer by profession. He earned his Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines, and his undergraduate studies from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Ignacio, before OWWA, served as assistant vice president for community and services department of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp’s (PAGCOR) under the Duterte administration.
Angeles also said a former overseas worker, Venecio Legaspi, has been named DMW assistant secretary for reintegration.
She said Venecio was an overseas worker for 29 years and worked in several areas in Jeddah in Saudi, including a “in a prominent Saudi Bank.”
Ople, in a statement, said the new appointees were “a mix of seasoned government officials and new faces who share a commitment to serve our OFWs.”
She said Cacdac has been in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and OWWA for 21 years. Cacdac, she said, will oversee the DMW’s Aksyon Fund which will be used to help distressed OFWs.
“This mix of familiar faces and new names reflects our desire for continuity and innovation.
The DMW’s `dream team’ is now in place, and we vow to serve our OFWs faithfully and with utmost professionalism,” Ople said.
Another seasoned official is Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones who has been in the civil service for 31 years. She was DOLE assistant secretary during the Arroyo administration and served as head of the Tourism Promotion Board. She is coming to the DMW as undersecretary for Finance and Internal Affairs.
Ople said new to government service is Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan who headed a highly successful law firm specializing in labor, civil, administrative, and criminal cases. She is an advocate for migrant worker’s rights giving free legal assistance and advice in various forums. She joins the department as Undersecretary for Policy and International Cooperation.
On Ignacio, Ople said he is “ keenly aware of the plight of migrant workers having himself been one for many years.”
On Legaspi, Ople said “Ka Vennie rose from the ranks to become vice president of a prominent Saudi bank in Jeddah before retiring and joining the DMW. “
Other key appointments are Jerome A. Alcantara, assistant secretary for land-based services and concurrently chief of staff of the Office of the Secretary; Levinson C. Alcantara, assistant secretary for Pre-employment Services; Felicitas Q. Bay, assistant secretary for Migrant Workers Welfare Services; Francis Ron C. de Guzman, assistant secretary for Licensing and Adjudication Services; Jerome T. Pampolina, assistant secretary, sea-based Services; and Violeta D. Illescas, assistant secretary for Internal Management and Administration.
