The Administrators
Current Administrator
THE HONORABLE CARMELITA S. DIMZON
Administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
The Honorable Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon was born and raised in the province of Pampanga.
A consistent first honor student, she graduated magna cum laude in 1968 with a degree in Bachelor of Arts major in English and minor in Philospophy at the University of Santo Tomas. She proceeded to earn her Masters in Public Administration and her Doctorate degree in the same field, at the University of the Philippines.
Prior to joining OWWA, Administrator Dimzon served as deputy administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) where she worked for the past twenty-six (26) years. She first joined the DOLE family in 1976 as a feature writer, then rose to become senior management officer of the Institute of Labor and Manpower Studies.
Administrator Dimzon made her mark at the POEA. She first served as Chief of the Labor Assistance Center and then the Land-based Accreditation Division. Thereafter, she rose to the position of Director II. She then handled the Welfare Services Branch, Government Placement Branch, Welfare and Employment Office, Employment Regulation Branch and Pre-Employment Services Office. In August of 2003, she became the Deputy Administrator for Management Services and Corporate Affairs. She was also the Quality Management Representative (QMR) for the agency's quality management system.
The appointment of Administrator Dimzon also saw another long-time career official of the DOLE rising through the ranks to assume the position of OWWA Chief Executive, following the footsteps of incumbent DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque.
As OWWA Administrator, Dimzon committed to be "judicious and transparent" in her duties, especially in managing the OWWA fund. She promised to limit the investment of the fund to programs and projects that will benefit the welfare of the millions of OFWs who are OWWA members and their families.
In Dimzon, OWWA found another leader who has both the technical and managerial skills to head an office. She is not only qualified and tried and tested to handle the operations of the agency, but also knows the history of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). She has the deepest concern for them.
Past Administrators
Administrator MARIANITO D. ROQUE
(2004-2008)
As a public servant, then Administrator and now the current Secretary of Labor and Employment, Marianito "Nitoy" Roque demonstrated exemplary self-discipline and an enduring capacity for hard work and empathy, traits that would later serve him in good stead as he rose from the ranks.
He is well-versed in overseas employment marketing, having traveled around the world either as head or member of Philippine delegations to various negotiations for the promotion of employment of Filipinos. He has led and joined employment survey missions, welfare and protection conferences, and dispute settlement negotiations. He is also widely traveled as speaker and participant in numerous international training and conferences and as a member of Presidential State and Official Visits to various nations.
Of his many achievements as government official, some of those that stand out include:
a) the negotiation with the Kuwaiti government for the mass evacuation and repatriation of 28,000 Filipinos during the first Gulf war;
b) the development of the informal wage remittance program for OFWs;
c) the conceptualization of the assignment of Welfare Officers to Philippine Missions as frontline providers of welfare services;
d) the reinvention of OWWA as a public-responsive and demand-sensitive national government agency;
e) the improved delivery of services to migrant workers' families throughout the Philippines;
f) the negotiation with the Saudi government which resulted in the release of 500 OFWs from the Kingdom's jails;
g) the institutionalization of the 24/7 Operations Center to monitor crisis and distress situations involving OFWs; and
h) the co-managing of the evacuation of 6,000 Filipinos from Lebanon at the height of the Israel-Hizbollah conflict.
But aside from being an action man, he is also a very dear friend and mentor to each and every one who had the opportunity to work with him and whose lives he has touched.
Administrator VIRGILIO R. ANGELO
(2002-2004)
"Vir" as he is often called hails from Malolos, Bulacan. He was born on 13 February 1948 and finished his elementary and high school at the Immaculata Academy of Malolos. He graduated at the University of the East earning a degree on BSBA Economics and took his Masters in Business Administration in Ateneo de Manila.
A banker by profession, Vir was the General Manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) before he was appointed as Administrator by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on November 21, 2002.
It was during his term the OWWA Omnibus Policies was crafted and signed by its Board of Trustees. It was also during his time when the OWWA was restructured to a national government agency (NGA) format and effect the transfer of OWWA Medicare Funds to PhilHealth.
Administrator WILHELM D. SORIANO
(1995-1998/2000-2001)
Wilhelm "Beebong" Soriano was born on 23 July 1950 in San Carlos City, Pangasinan. He finished his primary and secondary education in San Carlos Central and San Carlos College, respectively. He had his Bachelors Degree in Commerce at Luzon College. He took Bachelor of Laws at the University of the East and awarded a scholarship grant at the Ateneo de Manila.
Beebong rose from the ranks in government service from a property & supply officer at Juvenile and Domestic ___ to Revenue collection examiner/enforcement officer at BIR, to Director III, Atty. V at DOH to commissioner at ECC. Given his track record in public service, he was appointed as OWWA administrator by President Fidel V. Ramos from March 23, 1995 to March 23, 1998.
His unquestionable commitment to serve the OFWs made him come back on March 23, 2001 to November 15, 2002.
Administrator ELEUTERIO N. GARDINER
(1998-2000)
Eli (pronounced as E-lai) who hails from Tarlac was born on February 20, 1939. He finished his elementary and high school at Lamao Barrio High School and graduated from the Far Eastern University with a degree on BS Business Administration.
A close friend of then President Joseph E. Estrada, he "devolved" his business interests in the recruitment agency, "ELIGARDI", to assume the helmsmanship of OWWA on 01 July 1998. Given his experience in the recruitment business, Eli knew well the problems and concerns of OFWs at the job-sites. However, he did not finish his term and left OWWA on March 26, 2001 when President Joseph E. Estrada was impeached.
To many OWWA employees, Eli was known as a very affluent person because he did not even bother to get his salaries during his entire service at OWWA. He was known for his being "cowboy" or easy to "draw" cash from his own pocket for donations and solicitations among needy OFWs and many occasions in the regions. He is very approachable, loves music and he loves to sing because he used to be a member of a music band in Japan.
Administrator DAVID P. CORPIN
(1993-1995)
Dave as he is fondly called, was born on 29 December 1929 in Biliran, Leyte. He graduated from Far Eastern University with a degree on Bachelor of Laws and took his masters in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines.
Dave has been in the government service since 1962. He was a DOLE Regional Director from 1963 to1970 and left the government service in 1972 to concentrate on his owned "DPC" Recruitment Agency.
Dave was appointed as OWWA Administrator by President Fidel V. Ramos. It was during his tenure when OWWA structure was reorganized. It was also during his term when the Frederick Hotel was acquired, and now known as the "OWWA Development Center".
Administrator ATANACIO V. MARONILLA
(1990-1993)
Maronilla was the Deputy Administrator of his predecessor, Jose N. Sarmiento (1986-1990), and assumed the office in March 1990. He, immediately was given a baptism of fire when the Gulf War erupted in August 04, 1990. OWWA was faced with the gargantuan task of repatriating an estimated 56,000 affected OFWs from the Middle East due to the conflict between Iraq and Kuwait.
Iraq occupied Kuwait supposedly claiming that Kuwait is just a province of Iraq and it was stealing oil from its oil fields through underground oil pipes. A 24-hour monitoring task force was immediately established with headquarters right at the Office of the Administrator.
All national and overseas resources and manpower of OWWA were properly accounted and prepared for utilization. Established networks were activated and which served as the conduit for the evacuation of affected OFWs in Kuwait and Iraq to safer grounds before flight back to the Philippines.
