DMW recognizes OFWs’ contributions on Int’l Migrants Day --- By GISELLE OMBAY, GMA INTEGRATED NEWS

In commemoration of International Migrants Day, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday acknowledged the achievements and sacrifices made by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) for their families and the nation. During the 2023 National Forum on Migration, DMW Assistant Secretary Jerome Alcantara said this year’s International Migrants Day holds a significant meaning not just for OFWs, but also for the 22-month old department as it is the first time it would be celebrating the event as a fully constituted national government agency. “This day is very important primarily because this is a day where we look back, we celebrate the achievements, and we recognize the sacrifices of the overseas Filipinos and their families who also shine a spotlight on the prevailing issues that concern our overseas Filipino workers,” Alcantara said. “Even if as we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, where everything seems to be a rush, let us remember everyday and especially today the sacrifices of millions of our Overseas Filipino Workers and their families,” the DMW official said. In 2023, DMW said that the total number of OFWs could reach 2 million, up from 1.2 million ni 2022. Citing a National Migration Survey, Alcantara noted that only 4% of OFWs in 2018 said they received services from the government upon their return and upon their reintegration. The figure increased to 24% in 2021. Alcantara pointed out that one of the main mandates of the DMW is to provide a whole cycle, whole of government, whole of society, gender responsive, sustainable, national reintegration program for returning OFWs and their families. He explained that under the current administration, the DMW aims to already plan for the return of OFWs even before they leave the country. “It’s not just in terms of planning. It’s also in terms of lining up the whole support, the whole resources of government and stakeholders to help support OFWs and their families in that path,” he said. In 2022, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. instructed the DMW to establish programs that would benefit not only OFWs but also their families. Marcos said he intends to strengthen database management to see an efficient reintegration of returning OFWs so they could be matched with jobs from prospective employers in the country.—RF, GMA Integrated News

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