Owning a home in the Philippines remains one of the strongest pulls for Filipinos who decide their years of working abroad should end on home soil. Reaching for that goal became more practical for many of them when the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Regional Office IV-A staged its inaugural Housing Fair 2026 in Naic, Cavite, an event built around the idea of putting safe, decent, and affordable housing within reach of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.
What set the gathering apart was the lineup of agencies assembled in one venue. Returning workers were able to speak directly with representatives from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the Pag-IBIG Fund, the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), private developers, and the Naic local government unit (LGU). That arrangement spared OFWs the usual back-and-forth of chasing information across separate offices, giving them a single point of contact for housing choices, financing terms, and the government programs that can ease a permanent move back home.
DMW Regional Office IV-A framed the fair as one component of a wider reintegration push rather than a standalone property expo. Workers walked through the available housing options while also learning how financing support and assistance schemes could anchor their long-term resettlement plans.
The day also produced a formal commitment among several agencies. A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by DMW Regional Office IV-A, the Naic LGU, DOLE IV-A, TESDA IV-A, and OWWA IV-A, binding the offices to a shared approach in serving OFW households across the region.
Livelihood took its place beside shelter at the event. OFW entrepreneurs from Cavite set up displays under the Buy Lokal, By OFWs program, putting their goods in front of fellow workers and underscoring a point the organizers wanted to make plain: that coming home for good is as much about generating income and building something lasting for one’s family as it is about securing a roof.
