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The new initiative aims to help Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) transition smoothly back into local life, offering access to employment, skills development, and livelihood.
Returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) will now be welcomed home with a more comprehensive reintegration system, as the Philippine government has formalised the launch of the National Reintegration Network (NRN) through a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) signed on 7 June 2025.
The JMC signing, held at the Occupational Safety and Health Center in Quezon City, was the highlight of the 30th Migrant Workers’ Day celebration. The NRN, chaired by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and co-chaired by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), brings together 16 government agencies to ensure returning OFWs and their families receive coordinated, targeted support as they transition back into life in the Philippines.
Among the signatories were leaders and representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, DOLE shared in a press release.
The signing of the JMC is said to be in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Labour Day pronouncement, where he announced the launching of the NRN as part of a broader commitment to strengthening inter-agency collaboration in support of OFWs. The initiative is grounded in Article XII, Section 36 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 11641, also known as the Department of Migrant Workers Act.
The NRN is aiming for whole-of-nation strategies in the delivery of services. These include:
- Livelihood assistance,
- Microenterprise opportunities,
- Job placement and referral services,
- OFW help desks,
- Health services,
- Crisis support under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS),
- Skills development, and
- Access to affordable medicine and food such as the Benteng Bigas, Meron na (BBM) programme offering rice at P20 per kilo.
The network will be composed of lead government agencies and accredited civil society organisations that support OFWs, with plans to expand to the private sector in the future.
Speaking at the event Atty. Benjo Santos M. Benavidez, DOLE Officer-in-Charge, representing Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma, expressed the department’s full support for the NRN. He echoed President Marcos Jr.’s focus to prioritise the welfare of Filipino workers.
He said: "Hindi nagtatapos ang aming suporta sa paglagda, binubuksan po namin ang DOLE sa lahat ng manggagawa, lalong-lalo na sa mga OFW, dahil ang aming mga programa ay para sa lahat at walang pinipili." (translation: "Our support does not end with the signing, we are opening the DOLE to all workers, especially OFWs, because our programmes are for everyone and there is no discrimination.")
The signing also coincided with the groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming DMW Central Office and the National Reintegration Center for OFWs. The event was witnessed by representatives from the signatory agencies, including Administrator Patricia Yvonne M. Cuanan of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Lead image / Republic of the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment
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