President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the rollout of the nationwide expansion of reintegration services for displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), assuring them of opportunities to rebuild stable lives in the Philippines.
The President graced the “Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network Fair” at the Leyte National High School Gymnasium, where various government agencies and private sector partners offered employment and support services.
“We brought together government agencies and private sector partners under one roof, offering jobs, livelihood support, healthcare, training, and capital for OFWs who want to start a business,” Marcos said in a social media post.
He added that OFW teachers who choose to return home may apply for permanent teaching positions through the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Bringing our OFWs home is only the first step. The real work is making sure they have every opportunity to build a stable life here. This is what we owe our modern-day heroes,” he said.
Marcos attended the event alongside Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
According to Malacañang, the government highlighted the “Sa Pinas Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir” (SPIMS) program, which supports returning OFW teachers transitioning into public school positions. Since its launch in 2014, the program, implemented in partnership with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), has placed 11,056 OFW teachers in the education system.
The President earlier directed government agencies to prioritize the safety and economic security of more than 5,000 OFWs and their dependents recently repatriated from high-risk areas in the Middle East.
At the fair, the DepEd provided services such as a dedicated SPIMS Help Desk, on-site registration for Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) tests, and access to the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) and Senior High School voucher program to support the education of OFW families.
Through the Teacher Education Council, scholarships in priority programs, board exam review support, and licensing fee assistance were also made available.
In a separate post, the DMW said more than 2,500 local and overseas job opportunities were offered during the reintegration fair, along with medical assistance, psychosocial counseling, livelihood support, employment facilitation, and skills training.
“Walang Pilipinong maiiwan. Walang Pilipinong pababayaan. Tuloy-tuloy ang ating bayanihan para sa ating mga kababayang nagbabalik sa bansa,” Cacdac said.
Other participating agencies included the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
