Returning OFWs thankful for continued reintegration efforts of government

Returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Tacurong City continues to appreciate the efforts of the government to reintegrate them in the Philippine society, especially in the labor market.

Fifty-three year old Teresita Dasas, who spent several years working abroad, is one of the many returning OFWs who have been at the receiving end of any assistance from the government.

She was one of the thirty-three OFWs based in Tacurong who attended the Values Formation Seminar conducted by the overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Regional Office XII and hosted by the city government on July 24, 2013.

“Seminars are very important for us because they boost our project proposals’ chances if we apply for loans,” Dasas said.

OWWA Family Welfare Officers Lavenia Casal and Mary Joy Sulatre, the resource speakers of the seminar were all praises to the attentiveness and commitment shown by the participants. “We were happy because they also appreciate the reintegration efforts of the government,” Casal said.

Aside from the Values Formation Seminar, the group of Dasas had also availed of the Agribusiness Investment Opportunity Seminar conducted by the Department of Agriculture on July 16-17 in Tacurong.

The city government, through the Public Employment Service Office (PESO), also conducted OFW skills-mapping and orientation on the Integrated Livelihood Program of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Because of the continued support shown by the government to them, returning OFWs of Tacurong were motivated and started organizing themselves and even began reaching out to their fellow former OFWs.

Right now, according to Dasas, OFWs in three barangays of Tacurong have already organized and have their own sets of officers. Their plan is to organize all OFWs in 20 barangays of the city within this year.

Early this year, 15 former OFWs received a P75,000.00 assistance from the city government, through the Balikbayan at Kapamilya Self-Employment Assistance Kaunlaran (SEA-K), which they used for their livelihood projects such as soap processing, salted eggs-making, turmeric tea processing, and others. (Allan Freno, LGU Tacurong City)