ILOILO City – Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Western Visayas can now access a full suite of employment-related services more efficiently, as the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) formally consolidates the functions of seven former government agencies under its regional office.
This move is part of the implementation of Republic Act No. 11641, which created the DMW as the central authority on overseas employment.
According to DMW-6 regional director Glenda Aligonza, the agency has absorbed the powers, personnel, and services of entities like the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO), and other departments previously scattered across different agencies.
“POEA is gone already, same with POLO. Their functions now fall under DMW,” said Aligonza. “All their work and functions, and the power inherent in those offices, are already in the DMW.”
She emphasized that OFWs and their families no longer need to navigate multiple offices to secure services such as licensing of recruitment agencies, legal assistance, or issuance of Overseas Employment Certificates (OECs), as these are now handled solely by the DMW. The agency currently processes both Balik Manggagawa and direct-hire OECs.
For seafarers, the DMW continues to refer them to the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), which offers free training and skills upgrading. Although NMP’s main training facility is based in Leyte, it operates under DMW supervision.
The department also works closely with the Office of the Social Welfare Attaché (OSWA) for OFWs needing psychosocial support, particularly those who are repatriated or distressed.
“We are handling it,” Aligonza said. “We observe and coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development employees assigned abroad.”
She clarified that while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) remains a separate agency, it functions as an attached agency of the DMW, with its own programs such as scholarships and reintegration services for documented OFWs.
Aligonza said that the agency’s unification of services aims to eliminate confusion, reduce bureaucracy, and improve service delivery for OFWs and their families.
“Gin isa na tanan… para indi mabudlay magkadto-kadto. Subong wala na ta segregation, tanan na diri sa DMW para madasig ang processing,” she said.
DMW-6 has been operational in Western Visayas for the past three years. Its main office has moved to the second floor of Plazuela Dos in Barangay San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, while its former office at Robinsons Place Iloilo Main continues to serve as a one-stop shop for OFW clients. Both offices remain open to the public./PN
