A Senate panel is calling for a more structured pathway for returning overseas Filipino workers, with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urging the government to move beyond repatriation as the primary form of assistance.
Gatchalian’s push forms part of the preliminary recommendations issued by the Senate PROTECT Committee, which has been examining the situation of OFWs affected by the continuing crisis in the Middle East.
Central to the proposal is a call for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to expand its training programs, giving returning workers a clearer route toward local employment or self-employment upon their return.
The senator has also raised alarms over the economic ripple effects should a large number of OFWs be forced home within a 90-day window. He warned that a sudden influx of returning workers could worsen both unemployment and underemployment rates across the country.
Countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — which recorded the highest concentrations of land-based OFWs based on 2025 data — are among those whose workers could be most affected by the regional conflict.
The 2026 national budget has already earmarked P8 billion for the Training for Work Scholarship Program and P3.7 billion for the Special Training for Employment Program, both aimed at strengthening workers’ competitiveness in the domestic labor market.
Gatchalian argued that a comprehensive reintegration framework must go further, encompassing job-skill matching, dedicated placement programs, and improved access to credit and startup capital for returning OFWs.
He stressed that assistance must not end at repatriation, saying it is essential to ensure that returning workers have a clear path to employment and livelihood, especially given the continued uncertainty in host countries abroad.
