How many times have we heard OFWs expressing their desire to come back to our country and spend the rest of their lives here with their loved ones, but the scarcity of livelihood opportunities prevents them from doing so?
With this in mind, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) formally launched the “Balik Bayani Sa Turismo Program” the other day to boost sustainable income opportunities in the country for our ‘modern-day heroes’ and their families.
The newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two government agencies institutionalizes their commitments to creating, instituting, and establishing livelihood, entrepreneurship, savings, investments, and financial literacy opportunities for our OFWs and their families. These will be made available through various tourism training programs of the DOT and reintegration programs of the DMW, through its National Reintegration Center for OFWs.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, in her keynote speech, stressed that the DOT’s focus on human capital development is also fueled by the agency’s desire to enhance the overall tourism experience in the country. She acknowledges the fact that returning OFWs add so much value across the tourism value chain.
The skills, aptitudes, and competencies of OFWs and their families will be strengthened through training opportunities in culinary tourism, retail business, farm tourism, homestay operations, and tour guiding, among many others. These trainings will encourage the returning OFWs to appreciate the value of tourism and help our industry stakeholders propagate among our citizens the much-needed tourism culture for our industry’s sustainability.
The DOT also declares that this program reciprocates the big contribution of the OFWs to our country’s local economy through their remittances. Furthermore, OFWs who had senior positions abroad bring back with them a wide range of knowledge and experience, and can, therefore, be tapped as resource persons or trainers. These will then provide returning OFWs with an alternative source of livelihood here in the country, fulfilling their desire to revert to spending their lives here with their loved ones.
Through this partnership, the DMW will endorse to the DOT the list of returning OFWs and their families qualified for the training programs for livelihood, educational, entrepreneurial, and other existing programs and services, including financial assistance, subject to compliance with eligibility requirements.
The DMW will also incorporate DOT’s Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) module or core concepts in the Pre-Migration Orientation Seminar (PMOS) and other pre-deployment training or learning platforms/initiatives.
The ceremonial signing of the MOU was done by Secretary Frasco and DMW OIC-Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac. Also present, as witnesses, were DOT Usec. Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, Asec. Maria Rica Bueno, DMW Usec. Patricia Yvonne Caunan, and Asec. Venecio Legaspi. The program will formally roll out in May this year.
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FROM A MALE SENIOR: At my age, “Getting Lucky” means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for.
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