Marking the 30th Migrant Workers Day, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) joined forces to strengthen the protection of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families through a newly signed Memorandum of Agreement on June 7, 2025.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac and CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc led the signing, with DMW Undersecretary Bernard P. Olalia and CHR Policy Linkages Director Atty. Gemma Parojinog serving as witnesses. The agreement lays out a comprehensive human rights framework designed to address key concerns of OFWs, including legal assistance, case response coordination, rights education, and policy-making grounded in research and consultation.
Secretary Cacdac paid tribute to the late CHR Chair Chito Gascon and DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, both of whom championed migrant rights during their time in office. “Secretary Toots lived and led with a rights-based approach, pagsulong ng karapatan ng OFWs. Iyan ay likas sa bawat tao ang karapatang pantao, kaya’t kailangang galangin at respetuhin, at kung nilabag kailangan maghanap ng solusyon o remedyo,” Cacdac said.
CHR Chairperson Palpal-latoc, meanwhile, described the agreement as more than symbolic—calling it a vital commitment to enshrining dignity in public service. “It is a reaffirmation of our collective efforts to incorporate human rights at the heart of labor governance, migration policy, and public service,” he stated. “Behind their bravery, sacrifice, loneliness and struggle, we see their strength… Their story regardless of the outcome must always be heard and safeguarded by institutions like the CHR and the DMW.”
