The Quezon City MICE Center will become the focal point of this year’s Filipino Migrant Workers Day observance when the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) stages its inaugural OFW Global Summit on June 7, an event projected to bring together roughly 1,000 land- and sea-based overseas Filipino workers in person, with many more joining through livestreams and virtual channels abroad.
Carrying the theme “Serbisyong Buo, Kalingang Totoo: Inclusive Empowerment of Global Filipinos for Resilience and Nation Building,” the gathering will run plenary sessions, workshops, job-matching programs, entrepreneurship talks, and policy forums centered on the concerns of migrant Filipinos, according to the Philippine News Agency.
A milestone for a young department
For DMW Director Francisco Aguilar Jr., who chairs the summit, the scale of the undertaking is unprecedented for the agency. “Ito po yung kauna-unahang pagkakataon simula ng maitayo ang ating departamento na magkakaroon po ng ganito kalaking selebrasyon,” he said.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, speaking at a Monday press briefing, framed the summit as a direct outgrowth of presidential direction. “Ito ay bunsod ng pagbibigay ng ating mahal na Pangulo ng tagubilin at gabay, kaya’t pinagsama-sama natin ng iba’t ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan, migrant workers offices, pribadong sektor, financial institutions, civil society organizations, international partners, at OFW leaders, upang mas palakasin ang suporta para sa ating mga migrant workers,” he said.
Protection that follows workers home
Cacdac pressed the point that government accountability does not end at the airport departure gate. He described the layered programs the DMW maintains for returning workers — reintegration assistance, livelihood and skills training, job placement and entrepreneurship support, health services, and social protection, alongside initiatives aimed at workers’ families and long-term prospects.
The human cost behind the remittance figures was something he returned to repeatedly. “Alam natin na sa bawat pag-alis ng mga OFW, may pamilyang umaasa, may pangarap na binubuo, at may sakripisyong hindi laging nakikita. Ang ating mga OFWs ay hindi lamang nagtatrabaho para sa kanilang pamilya. Sila rin ay malaking bahagi ng pag-unlad ng ating bansa,” he said.
Government services under one roof
A wide slate of state agencies will run frontline services on-site, among them the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Health, the Social Security System, the Pag-IBIG Fund, the Philippine Statistics Authority, and the Bureau of Immigration. Assistant Secretary Kiko de Guzman noted that the summit ties in with the National Reintegration Network caravan, an effort that has already covered most of the country’s regions.
The June 7 program sits within a month of activities the DMW has scheduled throughout June, including a job fair, a Filipino seafarers week, and a Migrant Workers Health Summit. Cacdac added that summit deliberations will extend into legislative territory, taking up priority bills for migrant workers and drawing on what earlier crises affecting OFWs have taught the agency.
