DMW budget jumps 34%, AKSYON Fund at P2 billion; OFW Hospital upgraded

The Department of Migrant Workers will receive a 34% increase in its budget in 2026, boosting its total allocation to P11.745 billion, as the agency expands emergency assistance for overseas Filipino workers and upgrades key health facilities.

At the Malacañang press briefing on Monday, DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said that the increase reflects the government’s push to strengthen social protection for migrant workers under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

“Totally po, nag-increase ng 34 percent ang budget ng DMW compared from its 2025 GAA to its 2026 GAA,” Olalia said.

(Overall, the DMW budget increased by 34 percent compared to its 2025 allocation.)

Of the total budget, P7.46 billion was allocated to the Office of the Secretary, up 40% from the previous year, while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) received P4.285 billion, a 26% increase.

AKSYON fund doubled

A significant portion of the budget hike was directed to the AKSYON Fund (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan), which Olalia described as critical for responding to emergencies involving OFWs.

“For the first time, umabot po tayo ng two billion up from 1.2 billion in 2025 GAA,” he said.

The AKSYON Fund is tasked to provide immediate legal, financial, and humanitarian aid to OFWs. Olalia said that in 2025 alone, the DMW assisted 160,769 OFWs through the fund.

This included 27,661 OFWs and their families who received financial assistance, 1,085 who were given medical aid, 6,780 who received legal assistance, and 3,723 Filipinos who were repatriated from scam-related cases in Cambodia and Myanmar.

OFW Hospital upgraded to level 2

Olalia also announced that the OFW Hospital in Pampanga has been upgraded from Level 1 to Level 2, expanding its capacity to serve migrant workers and their dependents.

The hospital has a total budget of P639 million, with an approved P145 million capital outlay for facility improvements and equipment.

Despite the upgrade, Olalia stressed that the hospital continues to strictly implement the government’s zero-billing policy.

“Iyong zero billing na atin pong ipinapatupad… ay sinusunod po ng ating OFW Hospital sa Pampanga,” he said.

(The zero-billing policy directed by the government is being implemented at the OFW Hospital in Pampanga.)

The increased budget also supports the DMW’s overseas service caravans under the “Alagang OWWA” program, which brings government services directly to OFWs abroad through a whole-of-government approach involving at least 15 agencies.

As of November 2025, Olalia said 63,161 OFWs had been assisted overseas, resulting in 145,807 government transactions, largely in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. — BM, GMA Integrated News