Marcos launches nationwide expansion of OFW reintegration services

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday kicked off the rollout of the nationwide expansion of reintegration services for displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), as he assured them of opportunities to build a stable life back home.

Marcos graced the “Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network Fair” held at the Leyte National High School Gymnasium.

“We brought together government agencies and private sector partners under one roof, offering jobs, livelihood support, healthcare, training, and capital for OFWs who want to start a business,” the President said on his social media accounts.

He added that for OFW teachers ready to come home, “permanent teaching positions will be available through the Department of Education (DepEd).”

“Bringing our OFWs home is only the first step. The real work is making sure they have every opportunity to build a stable life here. This is what we owe our modern-day heroes,” Marcos said.

The President attended the fair along with Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

According to a Malacañang statement, Marcos and Angara underscored the “Sa Pinas Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir” (SPIMS) program for returning OFW teachers transitioning to teaching positions in public schools.

Since its inception in 2014, the SPIMS program – a collaborative effort with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) – has successfully integrated 11,056 OFW teachers into the DepEd system.

Earlier, the President ordered government agencies to prioritize and ensure the safety and economic security of over 5,000 OFWs and their dependents who were recently repatriated from high-risk areas in the Middle East.

For its part, the DepEd is providing essential services, including a dedicated SPIMS Help Desk and on-site registration for Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) tests.

Families of OFWs can also access the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) registration and the Senior High School voucher program to ensure the uninterrupted schooling for their children.

The DepEd, through the Teacher Education Council, also offers scholarships in priority programs and sponsorships for board exam review classes and professional licensing fees to support professional growth.

In a separate Facebook post, the DMW said over 2,500 local at overseas job opportunities were offered during the reintegration fair.

The reintegration fair also offered medical assistance, psychosocial counseling, livelihood support, employment facilitation, and skills training for returning OFWs.

“Walang Pilipinong maiiwan. Walang Pilipinong pababayaan. Tuloy-tuloy ang ating bayanihan para sa ating mga kababayang nagbabalik sa bansa,” Cacdac said.

(No Filipino will be left behind. All Filipinos will be taken care. We will continue to work together for our countrymen who returned to the country.)

Other agencies who took part in the reintegration fair were the: Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). — JMA, GMA News