By Marita Moaje | Philippine News Agency
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can expect wider coverage and better services from the government as the Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) budget for 2026 has increased by 34%.
At a Palace briefing Monday, Undersecretary Bernard Olalia reported that the DMW’s allocation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) rose to P11.745 billion from last year’s P8.76 billion.
“For the Office of the Secretary, we have P7.46 billion, an increase of 40%, coming up from P5.3 billion last year. Iyong OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) po natin, ganoon din po, nag-increase siya from P3.4 billion last year, ang for 2026 is P4.285 billion, an increase of 26%,” he said.
Olalia highlighted the department’s strengthened social services for OFWs, including the Aksyon Fund, which provides financial, medical, legal, and repatriation assistance.
He said for the first time, the DMW has allocated P2 billion for the Aksyon Fund, higher than last year’s P1.2 billion budget.
He added that in 2025 alone, the Fund assisted 160,769 OFWs, including financial aid for 27,661 beneficiaries, medical assistance for 1,085 cases, legal support for 6,780 cases, and repatriation aid for 3,723 individuals affected by scams abroad, especially from Cambodia and Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the OFW Hospital in Pampanga was upgraded to Level 2, with a total budget of P639 million, including P145 million for capital outlay, as it continues to implement zero-billing policies for patients.
Olalia said OWWA’s Emergency Repatriation program will receive P1.286 billion in 2026.
The “Alagang OWWA” caravans, which bring government services to OFWs abroad, meanwhile, have assisted 63,161 workers and facilitated 145,807 transactions as of November 2025, primarily in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
“Iyong ‘Alagang OWWA’ natin part of those expenses will be for the caravans – ito po iyong ginagawa nating serbisyo sa ating mga OFWs abroad na kung saan may whole-of-government approach tayo hindi bababa sa labing limang ahensiya, departamento ng iba’t ibang government po ang tumutulong para ilapit iyong serbisyo, government services para sa ating mga OFWs abroad,” Olalia said. (PNA)
