In celebration of Migrant Workers Day, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), in partnership with the Quezon City Government and the National Reintegration Network (NRN), successfully hosted the first-ever OFW Global Summit today at the QC MICE Center.
Anchored on the theme “Serbisyong Buo at Kalingang Totoo” (Complete Service and Genuine Care), the landmark event provided immediate administrative services, legal support, and new economic opportunities to more than 1,400 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families.
Organized under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the summit represents a historic shift toward a migrant-led, collaborative approach to governance—widely described by organizers as an event “for the OFW, of the OFW, and by the OFW.”
A major highlight of the summit was the official signing of three regulatory frameworks designed to significantly upgrade security and working conditions for Filipinos at sea:
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The 2026 DMW Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Sea-based OFWs
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The Standard Employment Contract Governing Overseas Filipino Seafarers
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The Standard Employment Contract Governing Overseas Filipino Fishers
These updated policies introduce stricter oversight on global recruitment agencies and establish higher standards for wages, medical benefits, and on-board safety protocols.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac highlighted the rapid expansion of the NRN, a unified multi-agency platform created to assist returning modern-day heroes. To date, the NRN has conducted 15 national fairs, yielding substantial baseline achievements:
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25,000+ total services delivered directly to migrant families.
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2,000+ job applicants successfully advanced into active recruitment pipelines for local and overseas placement.
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₱20 Million+ distributed in direct livelihood assistance and start-up capital to establish local businesses.
“Through the National Reintegration Network, we are changing the narrative of migration,” Secretary Cacdac stated. “We are ensuring that when our workers choose to return home, they are met with a coordinated government network ready to back their financial stability and entrepreneurial drive.”
During the event, the DMW disclosed key metrics detailing its ongoing humanitarian and legal interventions. The agency confirmed that it has successfully repatriated more than 10,000 OFWs since the onset of geopolitical instability in the Middle East. Additionally, the DMW has extended free, comprehensive legal counsel to over 14,000 distressed workers worldwide to combat contract violations and workplace abuse.
The summit also featured specialized panels addressing systemic challenges facing the modern diaspora. Key discussions focused on expanding the Labor Migration Management Plan, identifying early red flags for human trafficking and illegal recruitment, navigating emergency evacuation logistics, and drafting legislative reforms to permanently expand the statutory rights of Filipino migrant workers.
By uniting local government units, led by Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, alongside private recruitment sectors and civil society, the DMW reaffirmed its core mission: to make state welfare services more humane, accessible, and comprehensive for the nation’s “New Heroes” and their dependents.
