Regional offices of the Department of Migrant Workers are now equipped with broader authority to process OFW cases closer to the ground, following the launch of new procedural rules that decentralize how complaints and disputes are handled.
The rollout began in Dagupan City on April 15–16, 2026, where 87 participants gathered for the first in a series of nationwide orientations. Regional Directors, Bureau Directors and Chiefs, Overseas Employment Adjudicators, regional adjudication staff, and representatives from the Dagupan Public Employment Service Office all took part.
Under the newly signed Rules of Procedure for the Adjudication of Cases, Overseas Employment Adjudicators are now empowered to conduct hearings at the regional level, while Regional Directors have been authorized to issue Orders — a shift that moves case processing away from a centralized structure.
The activity was organized by the DMW’s Adjudication Bureau and Regional Office I, in partnership with the Dagupan City local government. Officials described the Dagupan sessions as the opening leg of a wider nationwide rollout aimed at readying regional offices for full implementation.
The DMW framed the new rules as part of its broader push for adjudication services that are more accessible and rights-based for overseas Filipino workers.
