OFW Journals (OFW Stories on the News) and Some OFW Employment, Career & Business Tips

Welcome to the National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO), a one-stop shop for all reintegration programs and services of the government. This is the Department of Labor and Employment’s strategic response to the various issues on migration and development, particularly those concerning brain drain and social costs of overseas employment. Each of the streams of reintegration—personal, community and economic—is addressed by a corresponding organizational unit of the Center, manned by specialists of the DOLE’s various organization units and attached agencies operating under the Single Agency Approach.

ABOUT

Background

For many years, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have endured being away from their families, living under different cultures and legal systems, so they could earn enough to live decently and send their children to school. The foreign currencies they remit, which in 2006 reached almost $13 B, have uplifted many families, as well as helped stabilize our economic relations with the rest of the world.

Yet many OFWs still find it difficult to return for good. Many are ambivalent about settling back in the Philippines. And while some have managed to distinguish themselves and are raring to contribute to their communities, not too many have found meaningful opportunities to give back to their source community.

It is time to take the Philippine overseas employment program to a higher level. While we have one of the best overseas employment programs, we still need to maximize the benefits of overseas employment for the worker, his family, community and country. Building on past reintegration efforts, we should systematically gain more from the new attitude, skills, knowledge, assets and technologies of our migrant workers to promote brain gain and drive the economy forward to a higher plane.

Thus, the National Reintegration Center for OFWs shall work to optimize the benefits of overseas employment for OFWs, their families, communities and country. With the help of the Center, their investible assets, skills and goodwill for communities could be channeled to better uses. It shall be a one-stop shop and networking hub of reintegration services for OFWs.

The three-fold thrust of the center’s reintegration programs and services are: personal, community and economic. Each thrust seeks to re-establish OFW’s ties – with his own values, family, community and country. Organizational units of the Center shall spearhead their pursuit. Yet servicing shall follow the DOLE - adopted Single Agency Approach, which requires agencies and bureaus represented at the Center to deliver a unified package of reintegration services to OFWs and their families. The Center may likewise link up the OFW to other government agencies and private cooperating stakeholders based on the same approach.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Personal Reintegration Unit

Labor Secretary Art BrionThis unit shall assist returning OFWs adapt to life in the country, taking advantage of their richer experience and qualifications. Consistent with Brain Gain Initiatives, they will be helped with local or overseas job search; technical assistance for self-employment or entre-preneurship; access to credit/micro-finance; assessment of need for additional techno-skills training; counseling on business or savings mobilization schemes; and psycho-social counseling for those with personal or family issues and challenges, preferably with support and cooperation of Family Circles.

Community Reintegration Unit

3 pictures showing a successful Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)Complementary to the “Brain Gain” thrust, this unit of the Reintegration Center shall offer OFWs opportunities to help accelerate the progress of their communities. This will be done by cooperating with other government agencies, particularly the Department of Tourism, the Philippine Retirement Authority, and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)to encourage OFW returnees, OFWs who are still abroad, as well as Filipino immigrants, to share or contribute their expertise, skills and investible funds with communities or local government units (LGUs) in developing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and/or high impact community projects.Partnership with NGOs will especially be encouraged by the Unit to build more bridges of cooperation and services between OFWs and their communities.

Economic Reintegration Unit

A picture of a high rise buildingThis unit of the Reintegration Center shall network with financial institutions and other entities to identify or develop entrepreneurial opportunities or investments portfolios that will encourage higher savings and earnings for OFWs towards better and more secured future. The Reintegration Center shall likewise tap existing and potential service providers to develop and offer faster, safer and price - competitive remittance schemes to motivate more OFWs to transfer funds to the Philippines using formal channels. This unit shall also coordinate with our financial community to develop investment portfolios that would help OFW savings to grow into something that migrant workers can look forward to when they return.

Assistance Desk

Personnel as Assistance Facilitators/Client Officers at the Assitance Desk To deliver our services efficiently, the Reintegration Center will have an Assistance Desk to provide face-to-face as well as on-line answers to queries of OFWs. After evaluating their needs, the Assistance Desk shall refer them to the appropriate Unit or service provider which shall assure delivery of needed assistance, based on the following menu of services:

* Job Search Assistance
* Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development
* Training and Re-tooling Assistance
* Psycho-social Services
* Brain Gain Movement Initiatives
* LGU, Community, and NGO Linkages
* Special Retirement Program
* Special Remittance Package
* Investment Portfolios
* Advocacy and Information Programs as a Stepping Stone to Family Circles

For more visit the official website at
http://www.nrco.dole.gov.ph