The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) continues to strengthen its commitment to overseas Filipino workers and their families through educational support, offering up to ₱60,000 in annual financial aid to qualified dependents of OFWs.
“Our mandate is really to provide welfare services, and we are proud to say that OWWA is truly felt by our OFWs through our education program,” said Jenivie D. Aguallo, officer-in-charge of OWWA Bicol, during a media briefing in Albay. She added that the scholarship initiative remains among the most valued services by OFW families.
For 2025, a total of 1,555 dependents in the Bicol region are benefitting from OWWA’s Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP), which grants ₱60,000 per school year to eligible dependents of active OWWA members pursuing four- or five-year degree courses.
Meanwhile, the Education and Livelihood Assistance Program (ELAP) extends help to the families of deceased or convicted OFWs, providing ₱5,000 annually for elementary students, ₱8,000 for high schoolers, and ₱10,000 for those in college. The program currently supports 288 dependents in the region.
Another assistance scheme, the OFW Dependents Scholarship Program (ODSP), offers ₱20,000 per year to dependents of active OWWA members earning not more than US$600 monthly. For 2025, 936 scholars—650 ongoing and 286 new—are covered under ODSP in Bicol.
Applications for incoming first-year college students under the EDSP will open this October or November for Academic Year 2026–2027. Interested Grade 12 students must take a qualifying exam administered by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
For many beneficiaries, the program is a lifeline. Jeremy Legaspi, a second-year computer science student from Albay, said the scholarship helps ease his father’s financial burden and provides extra allowance for school needs.
First-year chemical engineering student Fiona Vejerano expressed deep gratitude, saying, “As a daughter of an OFW, I will never forget the sacrifices and efforts of my father. I’m very grateful that the OWWA is here. Hopefully, he can retire soon, and I can help him in return through the scholarship.”

