Former OFWs attending the Seminar/Small Business Management Training (FAS/BSMT) conducted by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 7. (DMW photo)
Former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Analou Manjac, 38, arrived in Qatar on Nov. 1, 2023 to work as a household helper for a family of 10.
After seven months, she had to fly back to Mandaue City, Cebu after her brother died due to a car accident.
After 10 days in the Philippines, Manjac went back to Qatar to resume her contract. However, her employer did not pay her wages for three months. Her co-worker, an Ethiopian national, also started to physically abuse her and steal her things.
By October 2024, Manjac decided to quit her job and return to the Philippines. It was during this time that she learned about the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and applied for their Balik Pinay Balik Hanap Buhay (BPBH) program.
“Nag-inquire ko sa DMW, kung maka-avail ba ko ug financial aid kay pait man kayo nga gikan ta sa gawas, wala tay pangita,” said Manjac.
(I inquired with DMW if I can avail of any financial assistance. It’s unfortunate to be back home jobless and not earning any income at all.)
In March 2025, Manjac’s application for financial aid was approved and she received P10,000 from DMW under BPBH which she immediately used to set up a small business.
“Right after nakadawat ko, nagsugod na ko sa akong small business nga frozen food items,” she said.
(Right after I received the financial aid, I immediately started a small business selling frozen food items.)
Manjac also joined DMW’s Financial Awareness Seminar/Small Business Management Training (FAS/BSMT) to learn more about how she can effectively manage her business.
She started selling frozen foods to her friends and neighbors. She repacks and sells the frozen products, where she receives a profit of around 5 percent to 10 percent per product.
Manjac said DMW’s financial aid has given her the opportunity to earn money and enabled her to also help her family now that she is the sole guardian of her brother’s three children.
“Nakatabang gyud siyag daku nako, nagpasalamat ko sa DMW, na-apil ko, nakadawat ko sa ilahang financial aid,” she said.
The FAS/BMT is conducted by DMW7 in cooperation with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 7.
DMW7 supervising labor and employment officer Luchel Senarlo-Taniza said the seminar aims to boost financial awareness and small business management training for OFW beneficiaries and their families.
“The financial awareness seminar is a very important activity to equip our very own OFWs and their families in terms of how they manage their finances and how they prepare themselves in matters of managing their businesses,” said Taniza.
As of March 2024, a total of 135 beneficiaries have already received their financial assistance and undergone the FAS/SBMT. (ZCL/PIA7 Cebu)
