Arnaldo Arevalo Ignacio (born March 17, 1964), known professionally as Arnell Ignacio, is a
Filipino television personality, actor, singer-songwriter, and public official.
Television career
Ignacio has hosted several shows, like ''Chibugan Na!'', ''
Kwarta o Kahon'', ''
GoBingo'', ''
Katok Mga Misis'', and ''
K! The 1 Million Peso Videoke Challenge'', and occasional hosts for ''
ASAP
ASAP usually stands for " as soon as possible".
ASAP may also refer to:
Arts and media Music Performers
* ASAP (band), a hard rock band fronted by Adrian Smith
* ASAP Mob, a recording group from Harlem, New York
** ASAP Ferg (born 1988), Americ ...
'' and ''
Wil Time Bigtime
''Wil Time Bigtime'' (formerly known as ''Willing Willie'') was a Philippine television variety show broadcast by TV5. The show was hosted by Willie Revillame. It aired from October 23, 2010 to January 5, 2013, replacing ''5 Max Movies'' and ...
''. He also guest judged for ''
Kakaibang Idol'', a special edition of ''
Philippine Idol
''Philippine Idol'' is a Philippine television interactive reality competition show broadcast by ABC. Created and developed by FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, the program is a franchise of ''Pop Idol'' created by British entertainment exe ...
'' which was held for contestants with the most notable auditions.
Politics and government
In 2004, he declined offers to run as the running mate of former Mayor
Mel Mathay
Ismael Austria Mathay Jr. (June 26, 1932 – December 25, 2013), also known as Mel Mathay, was a Filipino lawyer and politician who last served as the Mayor of Quezon City from 1992 to 2001. Previously, he had also served as vice mayor of Que ...
,
but later vied for a
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
seat in
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
's 4th district.

In 2016, he was appointed by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
as Assistant Vice President for Community Relation and Services Department of the
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established in 1977 through the Presidential Decree No. 1869. PAGCOR is the Philippines' largest contributor of revenue to the government a ...
(PAGCOR). He served in PAGCOR until January 2018 when he was transferred to the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to serve as a deputy executive director and deputy administrator. He resigned from his post in February 2019 reportedly for personal reasons.
In 2022, Ignacio was appointed by President
Bongbong Marcos
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
as the new administrator of OWWA. But in May 2025, he was dismissed from the same position due to loss of trust and confidence following his involvement in a P1.4-billion land acquisition deal intended for the accommodation of
Overseas Filipino Workers
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million ...
that was allegedly acquired without the required legal approval and authorization of OWWA's Board of Trustees.
Filmography
Television
Film
Radio
* Si Susan Na, si Arnell Pa! (
DZBB) (with
Susan Enriquez
Susan Sevillo, known professionally as Susan Enriquez (), is a Filipina journalist, radio and television host, (Born: May 24, 1962) and news presenter. She is notable for her 2003 program '' Kay Susan Tayo!'' on GMA Network. Enriquez currently ...
)
* No More Lonely Nights with Arnell (
DZIQ
DZIQ (990 AM) was a radio station owned and operated by Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation, the radio arm of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The station's studio was located on the 2nd floor, Media Resources Plaza Building, Mola cor. Pasong ...
)
* PATOL: Republika ni Arnelli (
Radyo5 92.3 News FM, with simulcast on
AksyonTV
Aksyon TV (, visually rendered in all uppercase as AKSYONTV) was a Philippine free-to-air television network. It was a joint venture of NBC and TV5 Network, Inc. (international operations is under its subsidiary Pilipinas Global Network Ltd. ...
)
* Manila sa Umaga! (Radyo5 92.3 News FM, with simulcast on AksyonTV)
* LOL: Labor of Love (
DZMM
DZMM (630 AM) Radyo Patrol is a radio station owned by Philippine Collective Media Corporation and operated conjointly with ABS-CBN Corporation under Media Serbisyo Production Corporation. The station's studios is located at the ABS-CBN Broad ...
) (with Rica Lazo)
* OMJ: Oh My Job! (DZBB) (with Tuesday Sagun-Niu and
Bea Binene
Beanca Marie "Bea" Binene (born November 4, 1997) is a Filipino actress. She began her career as a finalist on '' StarStruck Kids'' in 2004. She is best known for her role as Natalie Dimaculangan in the 2010 television series '' First Time'', ...
)
Awards
*Winner, Best Game Show Host – PMPC Star Awards for Television (1997 & 2006)
**Go Bingo (GMA Network)
**Now Na! (QTV 11)
*Winner, Best Talent Show Hosts – PMPC Star Awards for Television (2008)
**Shall We Dance: The Celebrity Dance Challenge (with Lucy Torres-Gomez & Dominic Ochoa, ABC 5 "Now TV5")
Personal life
Ignacio had Frannie Ignacio, a businesswoman, as his live-in partner for 12 years. They got married on March 10, 2004,
but they separated in the same year. Since 2015, he had plans to have their marriage annulled. Together, they have a daughter.
Ignacio is openly gay. He got engaged to singer Ken El Psalmer in June 2015,
but broke up almost two months later.
References
External links
Arnel's Magnanimity
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ignacio, Arnell
1964 births
Living people
20th-century Filipino male singers
ABS-CBN people
Bongbong Marcos administration personnel
Duterte administration personnel
Filipino gay actors
Filipino LGBTQ musicians
Filipino LGBTQ politicians
Filipino LGBTQ songwriters
Filipino game show hosts
Filipino male comedians
Filipino male film actors
Filipino male television actors
Filipino radio personalities
Filipino songwriters
GMA Network (company) people
Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation personalities
Notre Dame Educational Association alumni
People's Television Network people
Radio Philippines Network personalities
TV5 Network people