The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), in coordination with the Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya through the Public Employment Services Division (PESD) of the Governor’s Office, conducted their Alagang OWWA Serbisyo Caravan on July 7, 2026, at the Carlos M. Padilla Convention Center. The program also included the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between OWWA and R2TMC for greater accessibility to services for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
The opening ceremony of the event was attended by Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator Atty. Patricia Yvonne Caunan, joined by Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito and the regional and provincial directors of various agencies present, including the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Region 2 Trauma and Medical Center (R2TMC), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG, and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Partners such as the Land Bank of the Philippines, Banco de Oro, and Small Business Corporation were also available services.
Addressing the OFWs present, Governor Gambito detailed the intentions of the provincial government for its laborers, including aspirations of recruiting more social workers to ensure welfare of OFW children, and continued monitoring and provision of financial aid to OFWs in such matters as housing, emergency assistance, etc. The governor urged all OFWs to take advantage of the services offered during the caravan, with special mention to the courses offered by TESDA, and expressed gratitude to the OWWA for choosing the province to host the first provincial roll-out of the Alagang OWWA Serbisyo Caravan.
In her keynote speech, OWWA Caunan emphasized her belief that ‘government services must not be difficult to access for people’, stating that the OWWA moves under current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s mandate of ‘bringing services closer to the people’. The Alagang OWWA Serbisyo Caravan is an effort toward this end, while in hand with the administration’s push toward digitization.
Caunan also expanded on the governor’s urging to take advantage of all services present, highlighting OWWA’s partnership with DTI and SBC as a means to aid returned OFWs in establishing small businesses. Forthcoming OWWA programs in partnership with TESDA, DOLE, DMW, and CHED may also see more scholarships, educational assistance, and work opportunities for returned OFWs. “Services will not stop at this caravan,” concluded Caunan. “This is only the beginning.”
In concordance with the government’s move toward digitalization, current OFWs are urged to sign up and renew their memberships in OWWA’s official website. Membership to OWWA grants access to services such as those provided through the Alagang OWWA Serbisyo Caravan. /igmb
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