TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Some fifty-nine overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents recently received from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Kalinga field office financial assistance under the agency’s reintegration program.
Thirty-seven OFWs from the different parts of the province were qualified to receive financial assistance from the program, 20 dependents of OFWs got scholarship benefits from the agency while 2 were said to be recipients of financial aid under the agency’s scholarship program.
The Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay program, which provides immediate relief to returning member-OFWs who are distressed or displaced, awarded a package of livelihood support/assistance amounting to a maximum of P20,000.00 as a start-up or additional capital for a livelihood project. Seven out of the 37 recipients were present to receive their checks.
This assistance is intended to help OFWs start their own business as a source of income for their families after their stint abroad.
Further, the OFW dependent scholarship program (ODSP) awarded financial assistance of P20,000.00 per academic year to 20 eligible dependents of active OWWA members with a monthly salary of not more than US$600 or P30,000.
Of the 20 identified recipients of the scholarship program, only 12 of them were present to receive their assistance. This scholarship program is aimed at helping the dependents of OFWs pursue their education and achieve their dreams of becoming successful professionals in their chosen fields of expertise.
One out of the two recipients of the Education for the Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) was also present to receive the financial assistance of P60,000.00 per school year until the completion of their baccalaureate course (4-5 years). The EDSP is a scholarship grant to qualified dependents of OFWs.
OWWA Kalinga family welfare officer Rhealyn D. Alos who facilitated the event together with the Public Employment Service office (PESO) representative expressed hope that the OWWA reintegration program will help the OFWs achieve a better life.
For her part, Kalinga PESO representative Rachel Maling reminded the recipients of the program to use the fund wisely and to add more skills by enrolling in TESDA for skills training as investing in more skills will give them a better option in their career choices.
She also thanked Provincial Administrator Teddy Gullay for supporting the PESO program.
This event is a partnership between PESO Kalinga and OWWA Kalinga Field Office which aims to provide support to OFWs and their families. It is a testament to the government’s commitment to helping the modern-day heroes, the OFWs, and their families for them to remain productive amidst the challenges of today, especially in sustaining their economic activities and sources of livelihood.
