DMW budget up 34% to boost services for OFWs worldwide

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said its proposed P11.745-billion budget for 2026 will be aligned with the administration’s people-centered agenda, according to Undersecretary Bernard Olalia.

Olalia said the budget, which is 34 percent higher than the previous allocation, will fund various programs aimed at improving the conditions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) worldwide, including medical, legal, and repatriation services.

He reported that in the past year, the DMW’s AKSYON Fund — Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan — assisted a total of 160,769 OFWs.

Of this number, 6,780 individuals sought legal assistance from the agency, 1,585 Filipinos received medical assistance, and 3,723 OFWs were repatriated from Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Myanmar.

Olalia also noted that the OFW Hospital in Pampanga has been upgraded to Level 2 status, enabling it to accommodate more OFWs and their dependents.

He assured the public that while the DMW has no official deployment in Iran, the agency remains in close coordination with the Filipino community there amid ongoing protests in the Middle Eastern country.

Olalia added that, compared with previous administrations, no Filipinos have been involved in siege-related incidents during the current term.