Overseas Filipino workers who have distinguished themselves abroad can once again be put forward for national recognition, with the Bagong Bayani Foundation, Inc. (BBFI) now receiving entries for the 2027 edition of its long-running awards program.
The call coincides with the 31st Migrant Workers’ Day, held under the banner “Bayan, Bayani, Bayanihan.” BBFI is running the search alongside the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Eight categories are open this cycle. Beyond the awards for Outstanding Employee, Community and Social Service, Culture and the Arts, Successful Reintegration, and Heroic Act, the program includes three named honors: the Susan V. Ople Achievement Award, the Capt. Gregorio S. Oca Achievement Award, and the Blas F. Ople Award para sa ‘Natatanging Bagong Bayani.’
Conducted every two years, the search aims to surface land-based and sea-based workers whose conduct abroad reflects well on the country and gives fellow OFWs a standard to follow. The foundation says recognition is reserved for those who have not only achieved something notable but also stayed within the rules governing labor migration.
Nominators have until Friday, 30 April 2027 to file their entries. Forms are available through a Google Drive link circulated by the foundation, which is based at the 3rd floor of the Blas F. Ople Building at the corner of Ortigas Avenue and EDSA in Mandaluyong City. Inquiries may be directed to BBFI at (632) 8-705-1464 or by email at bbfi.bba@gmail.com.
By the foundation’s count, 1,738 workers have been named to the roll of honorees over the program’s history — a tally it cites as evidence of the scale of Filipino contribution in workplaces around the world.
