The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) opened the year by singling out regional units and frontline personnel whose work moved the agency’s emergency assistance program at scale, as recognitions were handed out during the department’s first flag-raising ceremony of 2026 on January 5.
Speaking at the ceremony, DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac highlighted the role of on-the-ground teams in ensuring that distressed overseas Filipino workers receive immediate, humane, and needs-driven support through the Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan (AKSYON) Fund.
Performance figures presented during the event showed that the National Capital Region office released the largest amount of assistance, exceeding Php 106 million. Regional Office VI followed with Php 89.3 million, while Regional Office III accounted for Php 61 million in fund distribution.
Measured by reach, Regional Office III assisted the most beneficiaries, serving 5,033 individuals. NCR recorded 1,838 recipients, while Regional Office II supported 1,821. A separate tally covering the holiday period showed NCR handling the highest volume of clients, with 4,202 assisted, followed by Regional Office VII with 1,762 and the DMW-PEGPB with 1,024.
Beyond financial disbursements, the Department of Migrant Workers also recognized personnel who remained on duty during the year-end holidays from December 29, 2025 to January 2, 2026. The citation covered staff from the Central Office and regional units in NCR, Regions II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, IX, X, XI, XII, and XIII, reflecting the agency’s continued deployment of responders during peak periods of overseas worker assistance demand.
