The Department of Migrant Workers has released over P1.9 million in financial aid to overseas Filipino workers and their dependents in Nueva Vizcaya, covering medical, burial, and livelihood support under several government programs.
Eleven families whose relatives died while working abroad each received P100,000 in burial assistance, while 10 OFWs with serious medical conditions were granted P75,000 each through the AKSYON Fund. Four additional beneficiaries received P15,000 each under the Enhanced Livelihood Assistance Program to help launch or grow small enterprises.
Among those who benefited from the medical support was Placido Balimbin, a dialysis patient from Barangay Ipil-Cuneg in Bayombong. He cited compounding pressures on his household budget as he acknowledged the aid.
“This will help a lot, especially now that rising fuel prices have affected transportation costs and other daily needs. We are grateful for the DMW’s assistance,” Balimbin said.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, who led the distribution, pointed to Nueva Vizcaya’s existing financial literacy program for OFWs as a model worth replicating across other localities, crediting Governor Jose Gambito for the initiative.
“We thank our PLGU partner for initiating this program for our OFWs so they can be guided toward sustained financial literacy and livelihood,” Olalia said.
Olalia stressed that remittances alone are insufficient without the financial knowledge to channel them into productive, lasting investments — framing literacy programs as essential to converting temporary earnings into stable household income.
The province’s recently established OFW Welfare Center, which Olalia also recognized during the event, is designed to serve as a centralized access point linking migrant workers and their families to DMW and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration services.
