
OWWA exec sacked over 'anomalous' land acquisition deal — Palace
This was disclosed by Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro during a press briefing.
Castro said Sinclair was sacked from her post due to loss of trust and confidence in relation to the P1.4 billion land acquisition deal.
''Maliban po diyan, mayroon pa pong isa na makakasama, ang deputy [administrator] na si Emma Sinclair, pareho po silang tinanggal. Hindi po sila pinagresign,'' Castro said.
(Aside from [Arnell Ignacio], there is another one, Deputy Administrator Emma Sinclair. Both were fired, they were not asked to resign.)
Castro said this should serve as a warning to all public servants that they will all be fired if they do not fulfill their duties to the public.
Ignacio earlier said he will speak at the proper forum. GMA News Online has reached out to Sinclair for her side but she has yet to reply as of posting time.
The Department of Migrant Workers earlier said it is gathering more information about the anomalous deal, which was supposedly not authorized by the OWWA board, before filing appropriate cases against those involved.
The P1.4-billion land purchase deal under Ignacio's leadership was supposed to be for a halfway house or dormitory-type accommodation of overseas Filipino workers to be located near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, OWWA administrator Patricia Yvonne "PJ" Caunan.
The DMW is still reviewing whether the project should push through or not, Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


GMA Network
19 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace on increase in Marcos rating: Public sees his work
Malacañang on Friday welcomed the boost in the trust and performance ratings of President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. for the 2nd Quarter of 2025. Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the public is seeing that the President is working for the country. ''Unang-una, malamang po nakikita na po ng taumbayan kung ano po talaga ang ginagawang trabaho ng Pangulo. At nakakatuwa at nakikita na po nila kung gaano po kasipag ang Pangulo para sa taumbayan at para sa bayan,'' Castro said. However, she clarified that Marcos is not after the figures or ratings. ''Ngunit sasabihin po natin muli ang Pangulo po ay hindi maaapektuhan ng anumang numero. Pero siyempre po ito ay ikinagagalak, at kung tumataas man po ang approval at trust rating Pangulo ay nakakatuwa po ito dahil nakikita na nagtatrabaho. Mas mahirap po kasi na bumababa ang rating pero nagtatrabaho; pero mas mabigat iyong hindi nagtatrabaho pero tumataas ang rating,'' she added. Based on the Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from July 12 to 17, OCTA Research said Marcos received a 64% trust rating, a four-percentage-point increase from his previous one. His performance rating also got a three-point increase, climbing up to 62% within the survey's margin of error. OCTA also said Marcos reversed the downward trend in ratings that he experienced since the 4th Quarter of 2024 and received the highest trust and performance ratings among the top officials surveyed for this quarter. —LDF, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
20 hours ago
- GMA Network
Does Frankie Pangilinan have plans to enter politics?
Does Frankie Pangilinan have plans to enter politics? On Friday's 'Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,' Frankie expressed her disinterest in entering the realm of politics, explaining that she understands people often assume political involvement stems from ambition, a perception she denies for herself. 'I understood suddenly na gano'n pala ang mga tao, actually, tuwing nagiging politically involved, ibig sabihin may ambisyon,' she said. 'And I never was that kind of person.' Frankie emphasized that she's simply a Filipino citizen who desires change for the country's problems. 'It's not at all somebody trying to make pasikat, or like, you know, sort of grab attention in that way in terms of wanting to be a political figure. It's really just tao pong Pilipino na nais pong magbago po ang mga problema sa Pilipinas. And I think that's really just it. Bilang mamamayang Pilipino. Hindi po bilang anak ni sinuman,' she said. Frankie is known for her vocal presence online, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), where she expresses strong opinions. Despite being the daughter of Senator Kiko Pangilinan, Frankie maintains an independent stance, even when it comes to her own father, sharing that she and her dad are most often the ones who argue at home. In May, Frankie graduated from The New School in New York City. Present at her graduation were her parents, Kiko and Sharon Cuneta, and her Yaya Irish. —Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
21 hours ago
- GMA Network
Palace says Congress' power of purse should not be abused
''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said. Congress's power of the purse should not be abused, Malacañang said on Friday, adding that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. didn't want congressional insertions that will not benefit the public included in the proposed general appropriations law. Palace Press Officer Usec. Atty. Claire Castro made the remark when asked to react to President Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who stated that the executive branch's National Expenditure Program was subject to changes during the budget process in Congress. ''Hindi po dapat abusuhin iyong sinasabing power of the purse at maraming magkaroon... kung mayroon mang insertions at hindi mapapakinabangan na tunay," Castro said. "Iyan lamang po ang gusto ng Pangulo, kaya gusto niya maging malinis at budget at hangga't maaari iyong bicam conference with regard to the conference dito sa budget, 2026 budget ay bukas sa publiko,'' she added. (The power of the purse should be abused. The President doesn't want insertions that will not benefit the people. The President wants a transparent budget, and as much as possible, the bicameral committee conference on the budget should be open to the public.) Castro said the President and the Cabinet secretaries were involved in the exhaustive preparation of the NEP. "At kung numan po ang nabuo dito, ibig sabihin po, iyan po ang dapat na paglalaanan ng pondo,'' Castro said. (Whatever was mentioned here should be allotted funds.) The NEP or the President's budget is submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives at the start of the appropriations process. It is the basis of Congress's budget hearings to craft the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget for the following year. Marcos, in his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025) on Monday, said he would return a general appropriations bill that was not in line with the NEP. Escudero said the NEP was not set in stone. 'Ang panukalang budget ay nanggagaling hindi lamang sa executive pero pati sa Kongreso. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat 'yun ay tama na. Hindi naman porket binalangkas ng executive lahat 'yun ay hindi na pwedeng baguhin at tila nakaukit na sa bato,' Escudero said. (The proposed budget comes not only from the executive but also from Congress. Just because it was the executive that outlined everything, all of those are already right and cannot be changed.) 'Ang marapat na dapat baguhin, dapat baguhin dahil 'yung mga kalihim mismo ng Pangulo ay humihiling sa Kongreso ng dagdag o pagbabago sa kani-kanilang budget," he added. "So siguro kung may ganyang uri ng kautusan ang Pangulo dapat pagsabihan din niya ang kanyang mga kalihim na kapag may sinumite ng budget ang DBM para sa kanilang departamento, 'wag na silang humirit pa dahil bago sila makahirit ang pagkukunan ay ibang departamento rin,' Escudero said. (What should be changed, must be changed because the President's cabinet secretaries themselves are asking Congress for an increase or change in their respective budgets. So maybe the President should also tell his secretaries that when the DBM submits a budget for their department, they should stop asking for an increase because the source for that increase will be obtained from the budget of another agency.) Escudero has denied claims that there are billions of pesos worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget. He said the reports were part of a 'demolition job' in connection with his earlier bid to retain his Senate presidency post. Marcos, in his SONA, said that the government would operate under a reenacted budget in 2026 as he warned that he would veto a proposed budget bill that would not be in harmony with his administration's programs and priorities. –NB, GMA Integrated News