Overseas Filipino workers based in Manila and their relatives can now reach government programs closer to home following an agreement that puts a dedicated OWWA service point inside the city government’s headquarters.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Manila city government formalized the arrangement through a Memorandum of Agreement signed on July 29 at Manila City Hall, creating an OFW Help Desk meant to shorten the path between workers and the assistance they are entitled to.
Alongside the signing, returning workers enrolled in the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program received livelihood assistance intended to help them rebuild their finances and get back on their feet after coming home to the country.
OWWA Administrator PY Caunan and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso led the ceremonial signing. They were joined by Manila Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, OWWA Deputy Administrator Rosalia Susana Bahia-Catapang, OWWA NCR Regional Director Ma. Teresa Capa, and Public Employment Service Office Acting Manager John Hiroshi Umeda Jr.
The desk is designed to give workers and their families in the capital a single, accessible channel for welfare services and other OWWA offerings rather than requiring separate trips to a regional office.
The agency has been building similar tie-ups with local governments across the country, extending its #AlagangOWWA push so that social protection reaches a wider share of overseas workers who need it.
