Senate approves bill to help returning OFWs reintegrate into PH society

The Senate has approved a measure establishing a nationwide framework to help Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) reintegrate into Philippine society and the local economy after returning home.

Senate Bill No. 2423, or the Bagong Balikbayan Act, was approved on third and final reading Thursday with 17 affirmative votes, with no negative votes or abstentions.

The measure, sponsored by Senator Raffy Tulfo, seeks to replace fragmented and short-term assistance for returning OFWs with a comprehensive reintegration system covering the different stages of migration.

"For our OFWs who persevered and sacrificed in other countries, and endured long periods of separation from their families, their return home should not mark the end of the dreams they started. Instead, their return should serve as the signal to further expand their livelihoods," Tulfo said.

The proposed framework would cover land-based and sea-based OFWs, whether documented or undocumented, as well as distressed returnees and vulnerable groups such as senior and solo-parent workers.

Under the bill, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) would begin reintegration counseling six months before an OFW's return. Assistance would be organized around four areas: education and skills development or Kaalaman, psychosocial support or Kalinga, entrepreneurship or Negosyo, and employment or Hanapbuhay.

The measure also calls for the establishment of a Returnee-OFWs Management Information System (ROMIS) to facilitate job matching. Returning workers would also be given access to job fairs, civil service eligibility pathways and teaching opportunities.

For those pursuing entrepreneurship, the bill provides for business training, mentorship and dedicated financing programs to be developed with financial institutions.

Social and health support would also form part of the reintegration program, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) tasked with providing social assistance and the Department of Health (DOH) providing specialized psychological counseling.

The measure likewise requires anti-age discrimination safeguards and gender-responsive support across government reintegration programs.

Tulfo said a comprehensive system is particularly necessary amid geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts that can leave Filipino workers facing sudden displacement, job losses and emergency repatriation.

"With escalating regional conflicts and shifting geopolitical landscapes, thousands of our countrymen face sudden displacement, unexpected job losses, and emergency repatriations. In times of emergency, we should not be groping in the dark," Tulfo said.

-Paraluman News