Eighty thousand overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have received financial assistance through the government’s AKSYON Fund under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said.

Speaking in a radio interview, Cacdac expressed gratitude to the President and Congress for funding the program, which provides legal, medical, financial, and repatriation assistance to Filipino workers abroad.

“We are thanking the President because the AKSYON Fund, since the time of our President and there is a budget from the Congress, 80,000 OFWs have been paid by the legal and financial assistance,” Cacdac said.

In addition to financial aid, 14,000 workers received legal representation through the department. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) retains local attorneys across 25 countries to assist Filipinos facing legal cases.

“They know how to speak the language and are national to the host country,” Cacdac said, noting that the department hired local lawyers in countries like Saudi Arabia to handle legal matters.

More than 3,000 overseas workers also received medical support through the fund, which covers hospital bills and medications for individuals without medical insurance. Separately, the OFW Hospital has served approximately 80,000 workers and their family members.

Cacdac cited that Marcos recently increased the AKSYON Fund allocation to P3 billion to expand support services.

The expanded fund also finances repatriation efforts, including seven chartered flights deployed by the department to bring workers home from the United Arab Emirates.