DMW offers services to OFWs through Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Caravan

By Marita Moaje, Philippine News Agency

SERVICES FOR OFWs. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) launches the OFW Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Caravan in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday (July 23, 2024, On the same day, the DMW launched the OFW Serbisyo Caravan in Tarlac City. (Photo: Department of Migrant Workers/Facebook)

MANILA – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) extended services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families through the OFW Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Caravan launched in Tarlac City on Tuesday.

DMW Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne Caunan said the agency also distributed livelihood and financial assistance to qualified beneficiaries.

She said 24 reintegrating OFWs in Central Luzon received livelihood and financial assistance.

Of the number, nine OFWs each received PHP10,000 worth of livelihood assistance under the DMW Livelihood Program for OFW Reintegration (LPOR), while 15 distressed OFWs were each given cash assistance worth PHP30,000 under the AKSYON Fund.

“The cash assistance under LPOR and AKSYON Fund aims to support returning OFWs and their families on their livelihood initiatives for productive reintegration into their respective communities,” Caunan said in a news release on Tuesday.

She said the Serbisyo Caravan is a collaboration with the department’s social partners and local government units, starting with the provincial government of Tarlac, to provide comprehensive services to OFWs and their families.

The OFW Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Caravan on July 23-24 offers a wide range of services for OFWs and their families, including pre-employment and anti-illegal recruitment orientation seminars, welfare and legal assistance, and reintegration support.

A Convergence Agreement was also signed between the DMW and Tarlac’s provincial government.

The agreement aims to foster stronger cooperation in uplifting the lives of OFWs in the province.

Officers of six OFW organizations in Tarlac took their oath of office before Caunan and Tarlac Governor Susan Yap and signified their support for empowering OFWs in their communities.

Other government agencies that participated in the caravan were the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Science and Technology.

Among the agencies that provided services were the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Securities and Exchange Commission, PAG-IBIG Fund, Social Security System, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Statistics Authority, National Bureau of Investigation, and private company GCash.

During the event, a one-day job fair was held, participated in by 28 licensed recruitment agencies that offered 5,959 approved job orders.

“Hindi po tayo patitinag na maghatid ng serbisyo sa ating mga mahal na OFWs at kanilang pamilya sa Bagong Pilipinas (We will not waver in delivering services to our dear OFWs and their families in the New Philippines),” Caunan said.