Seasoned labor lawyer Patricia Caunan is new OWWA chief

Designated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is Migrant Workers Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan as the new Administrator of OWWA. PHOTO FROM PCO

Migrant Workers Undersecretary Patricia Caunan has been appointed as the new chief of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), replacing Arnell Ignacio, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Friday.

The PCO, in its statement, gave no reason for the replacement of Ignacio, whom then President Rodrigo Duterte appointed in his last year in office, 2022.

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Specializes in labor law

Caunan took her oath before Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, whose department oversees Owwa, and thanked President Marcos for her appointment.

A seasoned lawyer, she specializes in labor, civil, administrative and criminal law.

‘A trailblazer’

In a statement, Cacdac said: “She (Caunan) has been a trailblazer, that’s even an understatement. The frontier she has opened for bilateral and international cooperation has been amazing.”

The new Owwa chief has extensive experience in international labor affairs and served a vital role in the signing of 15 bilateral labor agreements for the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in countries, such as Canada, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Slovenia and Kuwait.