Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said Tuesday he first learned of the questionable P1.4-billion land acquisition deal involving former Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Arnell Ignacio late last year.

In an interview, Cacdac said the initial information he received in October 2024 centered on tax issues tied to the deal.

“Upon looking, what was initially discussed was just the aspect of taxes supposedly to be paid in the deal, particularly local transfer taxes, and then that’s when we started looking into the matter of whether the transaction went through the board in compliance with the OWWA Charter,” he said.

Cacdac also confirmed that the letter of complaint — filed by several “concerned OWWA employees” and recently circulated on social media before being verified by Malacañang — was initially shown to him by Ignacio himself.

“He showed it to me, because he said I would find out about it eventually anyway. And I said, okay, I’ll look into it,” Cacdac recounted.

The letter accused Ignacio and Deputy Administrator for OWWA’s Administration and Fund Management Emma Sinclair of manipulating government procedures to push through with the land acquisition. It also alleged that Ignacio, Sinclair, and others pocketed around P84 million from the anomalous transaction.

While Ignacio reportedly provided his reasons for not informing the OWWA board about the land acquisition, Cacdac has not disclosed them, noting that the matter remained under investigation.

No timeline has been given for when charges will be filed against Ignacio, who has been replaced by Patricia Yvonne Caunan, former DMW undersecretary for Foreign Policy and International Cooperation.