Camille Naredo

The Department of Migrant Workers headquarters in Mandaluyong City. Photo taken on Februray 4, 2025.

The Department of Migrant Workers headquarters in Mandaluyong City. Photo taken on Februray 4, 2025.   Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

20250204-DMW-Facade

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178082550866920250204-department of migrant workers-facade-MT-04.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="The Department of Migrant Workers headquarters in Mandaluyong City. Photo taken on Februray 4, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File"/>The Department of Migrant Workers headquarters in Mandaluyong City. Photo taken on Februray 4, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA -- The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) formally launched the celebration of the 31st Migrant Workers Day on Sunday with the first-ever OFW Global Summit to reaffirm the government&#x27;s commitment to faster and more efficient services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.The event gathered around 1,400 OFWs and their families on-site and additional participants online from different parts of the world.DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the agency to ensure the immediate and effective delivery of assistance to OFWs while providing additional funding support for key welfare programs.&quot;Rest assured, we will deliver. &#x27;Yan ang talagang pinag-utos ng ating mahal na pangulo. The president would want no less than effective and immediate delivery of services to our OFWs and their families,&quot; Cacdac said.According to the DMW, more than 65,000 OFWs have already received financial assistance through the Action Fund, while about 14,000 migrant workers have benefited from the services of the department&#x27;s international legal retainers and lawyers worldwide.The agency also underscored its commitment to maintaining efficient public service as a central theme of the Migrant Workers Day celebration.&quot;And of course, kasama diyan iyong pagbanggit ng pangulo na patuloy natin pangangalagaan ang OFWs and OFW families. And there&#x27;s no better day to proclaim that, to reaffirm that before our dear OFWs, and hubly we submit ourselves to service,&quot; he said.Beyond immediate assistance, the DMW outlined its long-term agenda centered on reintegration and sustainable opportunities for returning OFWs.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/25/over-10-000-filipinos-repatriated-from-middle-east-amid-conflict-dmw-0012">READ: Over 10,000 Filipinos repatriated from Middle East amid conflict -- DMW</a></div>Cacdac said the department will continue strengthening programs that provide psychosocial counseling, medical and welfare support, retraining, upskilling, and employment matching for migrant workers returning to the country.The agency is also working closely with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), and other government institutions to expand livelihood and employment opportunities.Through job-matching initiatives and coordinated referrals, the DMW aims to connect returning workers either to local employment opportunities or entrepreneurial support programs.The department also announced that it will push for stronger protections for Filipino domestic workers through bilateral and multilateral labor engagements with host countries, including discussions under regional and international labor migration platforms.At the same time, the agency is broadening programs that address what it described as the social cost of migration, particularly the challenges faced by families left behind.&quot;Number one diyan is iyong continuing implementation natin ng reintegration programs, which are essentially along the lines of kalinga, halimbawa psychosocial counseling, mga nanunumbalik, medical welfare,&quot; Cacdac said.“Second, iyong kaalaman, so pagbibigay sa kanila in terms of training and retraining, upskilling through the TESDA and the CHED... And then iyong kabuhayan, which is iyong employment opportunities,&quot; he added.Cacdac added that the government also plans to extend support services to OFW families, especially children and spouses who may require psychosocial interventions, values formation activities, and livelihood assistance.&quot;Ang gusto namin mangyari in the coming weeks, months, is to engage the families left behind. Lalo na iyong may mga maraming maliliit na anak, and in certain cases, let us admit, meron ding unemployment doon sa mga spouses na naiwan,&quot; he said.&quot;Pupuntahan namin iyong mga families who might need the help and support, including psychosocial counseling, including values orientation, including possible civic activities such as sports fest, artist workshops, mga gano&#x27;n,&quot; he added.Officials said the positive response to the inaugural OFW Global Summit has encouraged the department to make it a regular part of the annual Migrant Workers Day celebration.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) formally launched the celebration of the 31st Migrant Workers Day on Sunday with the first-ever OFW Global Summit to reaffirm the government's commitment to faster and more efficient services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) formally launched the celebration of the 31st Migrant Workers Day on Sunday with the first-ever OFW Global Summit to reaffirm the government's commitment to faster and more efficient services for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.

DMW launches first OFW Global Summit, vows stronger support and long-term protection for migrant workers

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DMW launches first OFW Global Summit, vows stronger support and long-term protection for migrant workers

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 07, 2026 05:47 PM PHT

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DMW

OFW

Department of Migrant Workers

OFW Global Summit

Hans Leo Cacdac

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