IBA, Zambales — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has opened its office here at the Palanginan government center to improve the delivery of service to overseas Filipino wokrers (OFWs) and their families here in Zambales.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac and Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. formally opened the DMW office on September 17, after signing a memorandum of agreement to solidify collaboration between the national agency and the provincial government on OFW affairs.

Among the government officials witnessing the ceremony were DMW Regional Director Marion S. Sevilla, Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Supervising Labor and Employment Officer for Zambales Mor O. Lim, Iba Municipal Administrator Rosario Aguilar, and Engr. Domingo L. Mariano, Provincial Engineering Office consultant.

Gov. Ebdane hailed the establishment of the DMW office here, saying it was “a long-awaited project to provide public service at the convenience of local residents.”

Cacdac, meanwhile, described the project as “a huge step in connecting OFWs to the services provided by the government.”

The DMW, created under Republic Act No. 11641 in 2021, took over the functions and mandate of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns (OPAOC). It also absorbed the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs; and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), and the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) of the Department of Labor and Employment.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), meanwhile, now serves as an attached agency of the DMW, with the DMW Secretary serving as concurrent chairperson of OWWA. – Taktikom News & Features