The pull between home and abroad is one many Filipino families know intimately — and bridging that distance is the shared concern behind a new partnership taking shape between Naga City and the national agency tasked with protecting overseas workers.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac paid a visit to Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo to discuss a partnership between the city government and the DMW aimed at strengthening programs and services for Nagueño overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.
In a Facebook post, Cacdac described the meeting as a visit to “a dear friend,” saying the talks centered on building stronger collaboration between the city and the department “for genuine impact on their daily lives.” He was joined by members of the DMW team, with the meeting held at the Naga City Mayor’s Office.
The discussions point to closer coordination between local and national government on welfare and reintegration support — an area Cacdac has repeatedly emphasized since taking the helm at the DMW, where he has pushed what he calls a “red carpet, not red tape” approach to assisting migrant workers.
Robredo, the former Vice President, returned to her hometown as Naga City’s first female mayor in mid-2025, anchoring her administration on inclusive growth and citizen-centered governance. Camarines Sur, the province where Naga sits, is among the Bicol Region areas with a significant number of residents working abroad, making OFW welfare a recurring concern for local leaders.
Specific terms of the partnership, including whether it will be formalized through a memorandum of agreement, were not detailed in the announcement.
