CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – At least 1,645 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Northern Mindanao benefited from a PHP32.5 million financial aid released by the region’s Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA-10) for the past two years.
During a media forum Wednesday, OWWA-10 program services officer Eugene Mesias said the assistance was given to the beneficiaries from 2020 to 2021 under OWWA’s "Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay" program.
"The beneficiaries were screened, we have evaluators concerning the kind of distress they are experiencing," he said, referring to the qualifications of the OFWs.
Mesias said the program does not discriminate against OFWs with different cases or issues overseas.
The Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay is a livelihood support program that provides immediate relief to returning member-OFWs who were distressed or displaced through a maximum amount of PHP20,000 as a start-up or additional capital for their project of choice.
Mesias encouraged the OFWs to keep their membership updated to avail of other programs offered by OWWA.
As of Sept. 21, OWWA-10 has recorded an estimated 117,000 member OFWs in the region. (PNA)
