The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration pressed lawmakers on August 26 to return P300 million that had been cut from its proposed allocation for the Emergency Repatriation Program, arguing the money is essential for bringing overseas Filipino workers home quickly and safely during wars, unrest, disasters, and other crises in their host countries.
OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan led the agency’s delegation before the House Committee on Appropriations, appearing alongside Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac and other DMW officials to defend the two agencies’ spending plans for Fiscal Year 2027.
Beyond the repatriation shortfall, OWWA laid out several other areas where it is seeking additional funding. The agency requested resources to contract doctors, mental health professionals, psychosocial counselors, and partner clinics abroad, along with support for OWWA Global Centers designed to bring welfare assistance, training, and counseling closer to workers overseas.
Funding was also sought for Seafarers Welfare Centers that would serve as support hubs for Filipino mariners, and for scholarships and educational assistance benefiting both OFWs and their children.
The DMW and OWWA officials also met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who voiced support for overseas Filipino workers and for the funding the two agencies need to carry out their programs and services.
Caunan and Cacdac framed each request around a set of concrete aims: shielding workers during emergencies, extending medical and psychosocial care to them while they are abroad, backing the country’s seafarers, and widening educational opportunities for migrant workers and their families.
