More than three thousand overseas Filipino workers have received government assistance under a nationwide reintegration program that has recorded 18,104 services since its launch, the Department of Migrant Workers reported.
The “Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa: National Reintegration Network and Job Fair” — a multi-agency initiative led by the DMW — had reached 2,890 former OFWs and 455 recently repatriated workers as of May 12, 2026. The program was launched in Quezon City on April 6 and has since expanded to regional rollouts, including events in Tacloban, Legazpi City, La Union, and Cagayan de Oro.
On the employment front, 1,339 OFWs were assisted through job facilitation services, with participation from 189 local companies and 69 private recruitment and local manning agencies. Separately, job referrals were coordinated through government partner agencies — 843 through the Department of Labor and Employment, 91 through the Department of Health, 54 through the Department of Public Works and Highways, and 18 through the Department of Education, based on data as of May 7.
For those seeking to start their own businesses, the National Reintegration Network distributed a total of PHP 4.37 million in financial assistance to beneficiaries under its livelihood component.
Skills development also formed a significant part of the program’s reach. Some 771 training vouchers and scholarships were distributed, and 1,227 domestic workers were profiled and endorsed for skills training under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Psychosocial and welfare services were extended to 313 recently repatriated OFWs through post-repatriation orientation seminars under the program’s Kalinga component.
The initiative is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify a whole-of-government response to the impact of ongoing tensions in the Middle East, which drove a surge in OFW repatriation from the region beginning early 2026. At the Tacloban leg of the reintegration fair, Marcos said the government’s obligation extends well beyond bringing workers home. “Bringing our OFWs home is only the first step. The real work is making sure they have every opportunity to build a stable life here. This is what we owe our modern-day heroes,” he said.
