Plunder charges, based on alleged misuse of government funds worth 530 million pesos (US$12.25 million), were filed Tuesday against former Philippine president Gloria Arroyo before the Department of Justice.

Mrs Arroyo was accused of diverting the money from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), a state agency set up to attend to needs of Filipino migrant workers, and diverting it to government-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for the production of health cards that were given away to voters for free to boost her image during the 2004 presidential election campaign.

Former Solicitor General Frank Chavez filed the complaint which also included respondents former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo; then Philhealth president and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III; and former OWWA chief Virgilio Angelo.

The charges were for plunder, qualified theft, violations of the Omnibus Election Code and violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials.

Mr Chavez said the diversion of the OWWA Medicare Fund, through an executive order allegedly approved by Arroyo, had "absolutely nothing to do with the intended purposes" of the government office created to provide assistance to Filipino workers employed overseas.

"OWWA funds are funds held in trust by the government [and Mrs Arroyo and her officials] cannot dip their fingers to the cookie jar that exclusively belongs to the OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers, by which term the migrant workers are called)," Mr Chavez said.

Mrs Arroyo, who was elected to the House of Representatives at the end of term as president last year, has been persistently accused of corruption and other controversial decisions during her presidency.

She was first swept into power in January 2001 at the height of a "people power" uprising against then president Joseph Estrada, then got elected in the general elections of May 2004 that was marred by suspected widespread cheating.

The camp of Mrs Arroyo had no immediate reaction to the charges as of Tuesday afternoon.