Sixty-three overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong became the first beneficiaries of a freshly sealed government partnership, sitting for free competency assessments in Massage Therapy National Certificate Level II as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) put their names to a wider cooperation deal.
The two agencies signed a Memorandum of Agreement on June 7 at the OFW Global Training Center in Hong Kong, timed to coincide with Migrant Workers Day, according to TESDA. OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan led the ceremonial signing, which the welfare agency framed as part of its push to deliver reintegration assistance covering every stage of an OFW’s journey — before deployment, while working abroad, and upon returning home.
TESDA Secretary Kiko Benitez said the agreement would lock in coordination between the two bodies on a range of services. “What we want is to always give all we can for our OFWs. With the help of this MOA, finally, our coordination for profiling, referral, skills training, assessment and certification, scholarship support, as well as employment facilitation will be institutionalized,” Benitez said in a mix of Filipino and English, as quoted by The Manila Times.
The deal commits OWWA and TESDA to widening access for migrant workers and their dependents to competency assessment and certification, scholarship grants, livelihood and entrepreneurship support, and help with finding work. The agencies also agreed to align training offerings with what employers are actually hiring for, to streamline referral and certification systems, and to share data and integrate operations through regional offices, migrant centers, and overseas facilities, TESDA said.
The Hong Kong assessments, held June 6 and 7, were administered at no cost under TESDA’s Overseas Assessment Program, which has been bringing certification services directly to Filipinos in their host countries since 2014. Implementing guidelines for the program were issued in 2016 and later revised in 2019, with the initiative run jointly by TESDA, OWWA, and the Department of Labor and Employment through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.
Figures cited by Mabuhay News show the program has tested 10,468 OFWs from its inception through May 31, 2026, with 9,054 earning certifications — a pass rate of 86.49 percent. OWWA Hong Kong had requested the latest round of testing for graduates of the massage therapy course, continuing a pattern of assessment activity the agency has hosted in the territory.
Benitez tied the effort back to the workers it is meant to serve. “Ang layunin natin sa TESDA kasama ang OWWA ay dapat siguraduhin na bawat patak ng pawis at bawat sakripisyo ng OFWs ay magbubunga ng mas magandang oportunidad,” he said, according to Mabuhay News.
