Iloilo City sets up OFW Help Desk

ILOILO CITY — The city government has launched an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Help Desk to provide direct assistance and support to Ilonggo migrant workers and their families.

Created through Executive Order No. 092 signed by Mayor Raisa Treñas, the help desk seeks to institutionalize a one-stop mechanism for addressing the needs, concerns, and welfare issues of OFWs.

“Our Ilonggo OFWs are our modern-day heroes. Through this EO, Iloilo City reaffirms its appreciation for their sacrifices by offering a support system they can rely on,” the city government said in a statement. “This help desk will extend assistance not only to our OFWs but also to their families through the local government.”

The new office will coordinate with relevant national agencies to assist in emergency repatriation, financial and legal aid, and access to livelihood and training programs. It will also handle data collection, monitoring, and case documentation to ensure that OFW-related concerns are efficiently addressed.

Aside from immediate support, the help desk will also implement skills enhancement, financial literacy, and reintegration programs aimed at improving employability and easing the transition of returning workers back into local communities.

The desk will be managed by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO), with technical assistance from other city departments.

Mayor Treñas said the initiative underscores the city’s continued commitment to the welfare of overseas Ilonggos. “We want our modern-day heroes to know that Iloilo City stands with them — in their journey abroad and in their return home,” she said.