SBG: Reintegration measure nears

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go welcomed the Senate’s approval on third and final reading of a measure establishing a comprehensive and sustainable reintegration program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), stressing that government support should continue even after they return home.

The Senate approved Senate Bill 2423, or the proposed Bagong Balikbayang Manggagawa Act, on Thursday. Go is an author and co-sponsor of the measure.

The bill seeks to provide returning OFWs with a more structured pathway to reintegrate into the Philippine economy by coordinating government programs on employment, livelihood, entrepreneurship, skills recognition and other forms of reintegration assistance.

Go has long maintained that the sacrifices of OFWs do not end once their contracts abroad are completed, and neither should the government’s responsibility to them.

The approved measure builds on Go’s earlier Senate Bill 1776, which sought to create a national reintegration framework covering returning OFWs and workers whose overseas employment contracts have ended.

Under the earlier proposal, the Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Migrant Workers would conduct regular job fairs in strategic locations, while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority would provide mechanisms to recognize education, training and work experience acquired abroad through appropriate certifications or diplomas.