After years of managing a bakery in London, Arlita Luna decided it was time to trade her career overseas for a role closer to home: being a mother.
Luna was among the hundreds of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who gathered at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center for the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) “Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa” National Reintegration Network Fair.
The event brought local employers and government agencies together under one roof to help returnees secure local employment.
“I just decided it’s time to come home, take care of my son kasi he’s studying here in Baguio,” Luna said. “I’m very grateful for the government for organizing this kind of activity kasi it makes it easier for us OFWs to find like just one venue like to find a potential job.”
The job fair aims to streamline the reintegration process by eliminating the need for returnees to travel to separate government offices across the region.
However, providing these local transitions comes with heavy financial demands.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia clarified the agency’s initial P2 billion Action Fund for 2026 has been depleted due to emergency situations abroad.
“For Action Fund from the DMW, meron po for 2026, nakalaan po diyan ‘yung P2 billion. Yang 2 billion na ‘yan, sa kasamaang palad, ay naubos na, na-utilize na natin dahil sa nagdaang sigalot sa Gitnang Silangan, at ginamit po natin ‘yan sa immediate repatriation,” Olalia said. “But the good news is, the government is still providing us additional budget for the Action Fund.”
Despite government efforts to create domestic alternatives, officials acknowledge that economic realities continue to drive Filipinos overseas.
Baguio City Representative Mauricio Domogan noted that working abroad remains a necessary sacrifice for many families trying to stay afloat.
“Maliwanag na by all means, hindi pino-promote yung ating gobyerno yung magtrabaho overseas. Ngunit hindi mo maalis yan dahil sa sitwasyon ng ating bansa, meron at meron yung talagang pupunta overseas just to sacrifice to somewhat uplift the living conditions yung kanilang sari-sariling pamilya,” Domogan said.
For workers like Luna, the consolidated job fair provides a practical stepping stone for those ready to make the permanent transition back to their home provinces. Clariz Hidalgo | UC Intern
