Skills training, ethical hiring practices, and expanded welfare safeguards anchor a new partnership between government labor officials and the Philippine construction sector aimed at Filipinos working abroad.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Philippine Overseas Construction Board (POCB) formalized the arrangement through a Memorandum of Agreement inked on August 25, 2026. The signing took place at the DMCI Holdings, Dacon Building in Magallanes, Makati City.
At the heart of the deal is a commitment to develop joint training and capacity-building initiatives, giving overseas Filipino workers a stronger foundation of skills and better preparation before deployment. The two bodies also agreed to work toward simpler regulatory procedures, cleaner recruitment practices, and more robust worker safeguards at every stage of the employment cycle.
“Together, let us ensure that every Filipino construction worker who goes abroad is equipped to succeed and protected throughout the migration journey, including the return and reintegration,” said DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac.
Beyond individual workers, the agreement is designed to open doors for Philippine construction firms bidding on projects overseas, while advancing goals tied to worker protection, skills advancement, and more efficient deployment systems.
Cacdac and POCB Chairman Isidro A. Consunji, who also serves as CEO of DMCI Holdings, Inc., headed the ceremony. Also present were DMW Undersecretary Jainal T. Rasul, Jr., POCB Executive Director Doris U. Gacho, and other officials and representatives from both sides.
The pact lays out a structure for the DMW and POCB to keep working together over time, readying construction workers and professionals for jobs abroad while reinforcing the systems meant to guard their welfare.
