The Philippine government is preparing financial education initiatives for overseas Filipino workers after the U.S. House passed a bill that would impose a 3.5% tax on remittances sent by non-U.S. citizens.

In a statement on Thursday, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac said that the department is in coordination with the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in anticipation of the possible impact of the measure on Filipino workers in the United States.

“We are preparing advice and programs that we can offer to OFWs not just on the matter of the proposed remittance tax, but also in relation to the strengthening of the peso and the observation that the dollar value earned by our countrymen has weakened because of the strong peso, which is good for our economy, right? But nevertheless, we are rolling out a series of financial advice and education for our fellow Filipinos,” Cacdac said.

The DMW secretary said the government will work closely with Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and DFA Secretary Tess Lazaro.

He added it was premature to speculate or raise alarm over the proposal but assured that the government will roll out financial education programs to help OFWs prepare for any future policies affecting remittances.

The proposed 3.5 percent tax on remittances, initially set at 5 percent, is part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May with a 215–214 vote. The bill must still be approved by the U.S. Senate.

If enacted, the tax would apply to all international money transfers made by non-U.S. citizens, including green card holders and H-1B visa holders, starting in 2026. There is no minimum transaction limit, which indicates that even minimal transfers will be taxed.

In other news, the DMW chief said that there are no Filipinos affected or hurt in Los Angeles or the western United States amid ongoing protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement following immigration raids in the Los Angeles area.

“We are in close coordination with our OFWs in L.A. Again, our workers, our OFWs, have been known to be law-abiding citizens and will always observe host country laws and regulations. What matters to us is that they are protected and secure, and so far, we have not received any reports of OFWs in L.A. or the Western United States being adversely affected or harmed.”