DAVAO CITY (PIA) — Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Acting Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said there is a need to localize the programs and services under the reintegration program for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to ensure that they receive the appropriate assistance for their needs and situation.
By localizing the program and services, both the success of the program and the reintegration process of the OFW beneficiaries are guaranteed. Cacdac emphasized this during the opening program of the three-day Reintegration Duty Bearers and Stakeholders Summit for Mindanao and Visayas held from November 15 to 17 in Davao City.
Cacdac admitted that there is a disconnection between the national plans and the situation on the ground.
DMW Acting Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac emphasizes the need to localize the programs and services under the reintegration
program of returning OFWs to ensure its successful implementation.
“Take it from me, may disconnect gid from plans na ginahimo sa central ug diri sa local because we don’t know exactly the local experience [There is a disconnect between the plans in central and local because we don’t know exactly the local experience],” he said.
He emphasized that “the program and services should also come from the ground,” noting that local stakeholders understand the situation on the ground, know the proper assistance to give to the beneficiaries, and have established local networks to carry out the programs and services.
“Kaya tayo nandidito is to take the initiative here on the ground, and we promise to give you all the national government support with the activities and programs you wish to have,” Cacdac said.
“I think we should be able to find ways to meet, kung ano ang plano dito sa ground, and then the national-level plan to meet and start here,” he added.
Moreover, Cacdac emphasized “to start small, start with a doable activity” when crafting programs and services for the reintegration of the returnee OFWs.
He cited the case of OFW Noralyn Pagagao from General Santos, who had just returned home from Gaza in Israel, as a starting point to plan out appropriate programs and services for them.
DMW officials with Acting Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac (center) and various duty bearers and stakeholders of the reintegration program from Mindanao and Visayas during the three-day Reintegration Duty Bearers and Stakeholders for Mindanao and Visayas in Davao City.
“Start with someone like her. Ano ngayon ang gagawin natin for her, and what can she do to help herself?,” he said.
“If somebody like Noralyn has arrived from Gaza and is now unemployed, how can we help her? How can we provide the necessary assistance to her?” he asked. .
He enjoined everyone to evaluate their specific needs and extend sustainable assistance to them.
“I think it’s all up to us; we could start so simple in terms of following through kung sino, ano na ngangyari ‘dun sa mga nag-abot, and then find ways to help them further,” he said.
“Ang mga tinutulungan naman natin are not immigrants. They are not people who have to be spoon-fed; you just need to inspire them and give them the proper access to government programs such as training,” he added.
The DMW official also stressed the importance of tracking their progress to ensure that the assistance provided yielded good results.
Cacdac revealed that there are so many things that need to be done, but he is optimistic that the program and services under the reintegration program will be efficiently and effectively delivered to the returnee OFWs, noting that “the solution is within our ground.”
The Reintegration Program of the National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO) under the DMW was institutionalized through Republic Act 10022 in 2010.
DMW capacitates the duty bearers and stakeholders of the reintegration program from Mindanao and Visayas during the three-day Reintegration Duty Bearers and Stakeholders for Mindanao and Visayas in Davao City.
It aims to help OFW returnees get back on their feet by providing livelihood assistance services, educational scholarships for their dependents, and training such as value formation, financial literacy, entrepreneurial development, and techno-skills and capability building.
Cacdac committed to implementing the program in full swing in 2024.
“2023 is like a sort of training year to get ourselves acclimated to the challenges and the situation, but in 2024, we promise to go full blast with this,” Cacdac said. (ASO/PIA-XI)a
