Returning OFWs
ALMOST throughout the year, many of our army of highly-dedicated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) return home for good, drawing praises from various sectors of society.
This after working for so many years in foreign lands, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and other countries in the oil-rich Middle East (ME), enduring homesickness.
Thus, the government, through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), is on the right track in coming up with “a full cycle of reintegration services” for returning Filipino workers.
“Our OFWs contribute to our economy through their dollar remittances, but at some point in their lives, they would also need to come home,” according to DMW Secretary Susan Ople.
The government ought to help these workers by creating sustainable sources of income through entrepreneurship, sound investments or helping them land a better job in the country.
During the 28th National Migrant Workers’ Day rites at the DMW office in Mandaluyong City last Wednesday, Ople signed an agreement with officials of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The Philippines, a major manpower exporter, celebrates National Migrant Workers’ Day every June 7 to mark the signing of Republic Act (RA) No. 8042 or the Migrant Workers’ Act of 1995.
Ople said the accord with DTI and seven other reintegration partners is in line with President Marcos’ directive to help transform an OFW’s journey into “inspirational stories for all time.”
“We want them to come back with excitement in their hearts on what the future holds for them and their families…with NGOs and private companies as their mentors and cheerleaders,” Ople said.
In the view of many quarters, the Marcos administration continues to demonstrate its genuine concern for the welfare of returning migrant workers and their loved ones.
