Fifty Negrense former overseas Filipino workers walked away with fresh capital for their small businesses on Monday after the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) released PHP1 million in livelihood support through its Balik-Pinas! Balik-Hanapbuhay! Program.
The disbursement, held at the SM City Bacolod Activity Center during the 2026 Migrant Workers Day program, gave each returning worker PHP20,000 to put toward starting or expanding a livelihood venture. The grants are designed as immediate assistance for member-OFWs who have come back to the country.
Among those who benefited was a 34-year-old Bacolod City resident who had worked as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia before returning to the Philippines last year.
“I will use the cash assistance for my sari-sari store business, which serves as a source of income for my family. I’m also thinking of working abroad again in the future,” she said in a PNA report.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson used the occasion to underscore Negros Occidental’s backing for migrant workers, pointing to the Provincial Committee on Migration and Development’s ongoing aid for distressed OFWs, reintegration training, and scholarships for the children of Negrense migrants.
“You can be assured that we will continue to protect your rights under Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. Through our theme, ‘Bayan, Bayani, Bayanihan,’ we recognize the important role of our OFWs as modern-day heroes,” he said.
Leading the turnover alongside Lacson were Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)-Western Visayas and Negros Island Region concurrent Regional Director Glenda Aligonza and OWWA-Western Visayas Officer-in-Charge James Mendiola.
“We work hand-in-hand with the OWWA to ensure that the rights of OFWs are protected, their welfare is prioritized, and their dreams are realized,” Aligonza said, restating the DMW’s pledge to stand behind migrant Filipinos.
Beyond the cash component, the program connects beneficiaries with entrepreneurship development training run by the Department of Trade and Industry, along with marketing linkages and job referral services meant to help recipients establish or run their own self-employment ventures.
