Marcos allots P3B more for OFW repatriation from Middle East

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the release of an additional P3 billion to boost the Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) repatriation and reintegration program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the Middle East conflict.

The fund augmentation will finance the whole “repatriation chain, from post-departure assistance, to flights, to reintegration,” Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement on Sunday.

“War or not, there are Filipinos in extreme distress that we should bring home,” he added.

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As of June 17, 10,446 Filipinos have been safely returned to the Philippines from the Middle East by DMW-organized humanitarian flights. These included 8,281 OFWs, 1,803 dependents, and 362 stranded citizens.

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READ: OWWA: OFW repatriates from Middle East reach 6,532 as of April 20

“If you will recall, these flights became medevacs (medical evacuation) for sick Filipinos as well. The DMW, through the brilliant leadership of Secretary Hans Cacdac, brought medical personnel on board to care for them,” Recto said.

Marcos topped up the OFW assistance fund “because the president does not want repatriation to be a mere airport-to-airport thing.”

“The president’s order is that OFWs should not be left on their own after they return to our country. What the president wants is for assistance to reach provinces with people in urgent need, and above all, to provide economic opportunities for our repatriated OFWs,” Recto said.

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The Office of the Executive Secretary did not clarify where the P3 billion would be sourced from the limited fiscal space of the 2026 national budget.

During a Senate committee hearing in March, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said the Philippine government would need P13 billion to evacuate all Filipinos in areas directly affected by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

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With the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) remaining P1.5-billion Emergency Repatriation Fund as of March, the agency said it could only cover the repatriation of over 10,000 Filipinos.

Before the crisis in the Middle East, the repatriation cost per person was about P135,000 to P140,000, according to OWWA.

The DMW also has P2 billion under its Aksyon (Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan) Fund in the 2026 national budget to provide legal, medical, and financial support for distressed OFWs and their families.

The United States and Iran will conduct a new round of negotiations in Geneva, after Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Washington announced a renewed ceasefire on Friday as a condition of its preliminary agreement with Iran. But Israeli troops clashed again with Hezbollah fighters on Saturday, with each side accusing the other of breaking the truce.

Hormuz, a key conduit for oil and gas shipments, was blockaded by Iran for much of the war since Feb. 28, sending shockwaves through global energy markets and forcing OFWs based in Middle East countries to be repatriated back to the Philippines.

Upon the arrival of repatriated OFWs, the “standard welcome package” that they may avail themselves of includes “financial assistance, psychosocial counseling, medical assessment, reemployment guidance, livelihood,” Recto said, citing a DMW briefer.

“By tapping the skills of the OFWs honed by their work abroad, society benefits as well. This is a kind of technology transfer that helps the economy. This is a brain gain we need,” he added.

READ: US and Iran set for new talks after delay and deadly strikes

To hasten the OFWs’ reintegration into the workforce, the DMW has already conducted 15 Bayanihan Para Sa Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network and Job Fairs nationwide.

These one-stop-shop fairs network them to local and overseas work opportunities, livelihood support, and financial literacy programs, among other services.

The OWWA, through its Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay Program, has also given livelihood aid to 664 recently returning OFWs. An OFW can receive as much as P20,000 in small business start-up assistance.

For returning Philippine-licensed teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) has also created a “hiring pathway” that will allow them to teach in public schools.

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Latest data from DepEd said about 10,000 former OFWs had joined the public teaching corps through its Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir (SPIMS) program. /das /atm