Overseas Filipino workers passing through the Visayas will soon have a dedicated rest area of their own. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) confirmed that its newest OFW Lounge, set to open within June at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, will extend the agency’s network of worker facilities beyond Metro Manila for the first time.
The two existing lounges operate at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 3, both run under OWWA’s Alagang OWWA program. The Cebu addition broadens that reach into the country’s central region.
Agency officials wrapped up a working trip to Cebu shortly before the announcement, meeting with infrastructure partner Aboitiz InfraCapital to finalize arrangements ahead of the launch. The project moves forward on instructions from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and under the supervision of Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, part of a broader push to position government services closer to where workers travel.
A notable feature of the new lounge will be an on-site OWWA e-Card facility. Rather than processing the card elsewhere, OFWs will be able to obtain it within the lounge itself, giving them quicker entry to the agency’s benefits and programs. The space is also being designed for comfort, offering a calm environment for workers before or after their flights.
OWWA credited support from First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Cebu Governor Pam S. Baricuatro in bringing the facility to completion, citing their backing for an undertaking aimed at improving conditions for the country’s migrant workforce.
The Mactan-Cebu lounge fits into Aboitiz InfraCapital’s wider development of the airport as a primary OFW gateway for travelers across the Visayas and Mindanao.
