Marcos to new OWWA chief: Help migrant workers’ kids

MANILA — Newly appointed Overseas Workers Welfare Administration administrator Arnell Ignacio said Thursday he was ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to extend help to the families of overseas Filipino workers, especially their children.

According to Ignacio, the agency will launch programs that will give support to children of Filipino migrant workers.

“Ang bilin ni Presidente hindi lamang OFW ang inyong alagaan, extend this care, itong inyong pangangalaga sa kanilang pamilya especially the children,” he told ANC’s “Headstart”.

One of the agency’s new programs is called OFW Children’s Circle, which seeks to help children cope with the negative effects and social costs of migration.

The program also aims to showcase the creative skills and talents of OFW children, improve their socialization skills, foster awareness in civic advocacies, build camaraderie among fellow OFW children, and take part in policy and program development of the government. 

The agency has allocated P15 million for the initial implementation of the program.

The Palace announced Wednesday Marcos has appointed Ignacio to lead OWWA.

The television personality first served as OWWA deputy administrator in 2018 before resigning for personal reasons. He was reappointed in September of last year to the same post.

Before his stint in OWWA, Ignacio was appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp’s assistant vice president for community and services department.

Asked what kind of OWWA administrator he would be, Ignacio said, “I would always want to leave a good memory. I would like you to remember me as a good memory.”

There are an estimated 1.77 million OFWs from April to September 2020, latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed. Of the figure, 59.6 percent are women while 40.4 percent are men.