During her interpolation on the budget deliberation of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday, 2 October 2025, Kabataan party-list representative Atty. Renee Co sought clarification on a basic military program reportedly conducted for children of OFWs in Apayao Province.

“This representation was alarmed to see a Facebook post of the Overseas Welfare Administration, Cordillera Administrative Region, around July of this year. In the now-deleted post, the agency showcased a basic military training program for the children of OFW in Apayao Province,” Atty. Co explained.

“Are the children of OFWs in the Cordillera Administrative Region mandated to attend this two-day program?” she asked in Tagalog.

Trabaho Representative and DMW sponsor Johanne Bautista stated that the department has no specific program on the matter and will conduct a full and formal investigation.

However, Atty. Co maintained that the Facebook post was official.

“This is an official Facebook post of OWWA Cordillera Administrative Region. So to clarify, the event happened. Furthermore, it is specified that this training was done in collaboration with the 17th Infantry Battalion, is this correct po?” she asked.

The DMW confirmed that the post has been taken down and said they are still verifying the details of the event. They insisted, however, that there was no official partnership with the military.

Atty. Co noted that the same 17th Infantry Battalion has previously been implicated in red-tagging communities, including progressive groups, labeling them as communist terrorists. DMW, through its sponsor, emphasized that they are against any red-tagging activities.

“We are alarmed by this post and the portrayal of this training by instilling discipline, resilience, and camaraderie among the youth. In other instances, the 17th Infantry Battalion has told youth not to join progressive organizations,” Atty. Co explained.

“The disadvantage here is the ability of the youth to speak up about issues that are important to us," she added.

Atty. Co expressed hope that the DMW would develop programs that provide children of OFWs with comparable opportunities domestically, allowing families to stay in the Philippines while guiding their children.