The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) otherwise known as the Kagawaran ng Manggagawang Mandarayuhan, is a relatively new department formed by the Philippine government to unify and consolidate the agencies, as well as their programs and services, meant to promote and protect the well-being of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families worldwide. It also ensures that the OFWs are treated fairly and that they get the opportunities to voice out legitimate concerns or issues in exchange for the sacrifices they are making for their families back home.
As a new department designed to consolidate OFW services and remove the need for redundant trips to various agencies, the DMW has been made to subsume other relevant departments, causing them to either be discontinued to simply supplement their operations. In this article, we listed all the agencies subsumed under the new DMW, along with the services that the new department now takes over.
List of Philippine Agencies under the New DMW Office
Here’s a complete list of all DMW-subsumed agencies, regardless if they were discontinued or still in existence.
1. Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is one of the most recently defined agencies that helped formed the foundations of the new DMW. It was an agency that used to provide support to OFWs by managing the Philippines’ overseas employment development and regulatory programs and offering opportunities for employment while strengthening overseas worker protection programs.
As an agency, the POEA started out as a consolidation of three other departments, including the Overseas Employment Development Board, the National Seamen Board, and the Bureau of Employment Services. It later evolved with an expanded scope of functions, which includes regulatory provisions.
Some of the DMW services that the POEA used to offer, include:
- Industry Regulation and Monitoring
- Employment Registration, Accreditation, Approval, Processing, and Facilitation
- Worker’s Protection and Educational Training
- General Administration and Support Services, including Human Resources Development, Property and Supplies Management, Financial Management, Information and Communication Technology, and Plans and Policy Development
2. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is a membership institution managed by the government. It was originally known as the Welfare and Training Fund for Overseas Workers and was created to take care of the needs and welfare of the OFWs and their dependents. The OWWA programs are all geared to educate OFWs about jobs abroad, offer educational and training assistance to OFWs and their dependents, assist distressed OFWs, teach returning OFWs about entrepreneurship, and reintegrate them into society by helping them become better entrepreneurs. Its main goal: To help OFWs live better lives, regardless of whether they are home in the Philippines or are living abroad.
The agency also has a long history. Since it launched in 1977, it has kept up with its mandate to keep the OFWs and their families safe and protected. In doing so, they have expanded their service delivery hubs, setting up about 35 overseas offices across 27 different countries, as well as regional and satellite offices scattered across all 17 regions in the country.
3. Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA)
The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA), through the Foreign Service Posts (Philippine Embassies/Consulates), is a key department principally responsible for providing and overseeing all Assistance to Nationals (ATN) and legal services to all overseas Filipinos in distress and their families. It also facilitates and maximizes various services, including counseling, temporary shelter, medical treatment, and other services, by coordinating with other government agencies like the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), among others.
Aside from the services mentioned above, the OUMWA also conducts information campaigns to help raise public awareness about the rights and welfare of migrant workers and their families. The agency also handles blood money negotiations for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as well as encourages the private sector to create jobs and offer employment assistance to repatriated OFWs.
4. Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO)
The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) is a government agency stationed abroad in an effort to bring the services and protection of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) closer to the OFWs. As the primary agency in charge of the welfare and safety of migrant workers abroad, the POLO engages and collaborates with relevant Philippine government agencies, the host government, Filipino communities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in at least 34 different offices worldwide.
As an agency, POLO has always served to protect the overall well-being of Filipinos overseas by implementing various policies and programs that establish better diplomatic relationships with other countries while promoting their rights and well-being. It also resolves employer-employee relationship problems and validates employment contracts and other employment-related documentation. It also helps promote labor-related developments and cooperation between the host government and the Philippines.
5. International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB)
The International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) is an agency institutionalized in 1947 to carry out the international directives of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). As an agency, ILAB works towards the development of international labor and employment policies, plans, programs, projects, and operating standards. As DOLE’s global link, it not only connects the POLOs and international organizations like the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but also supervises and monitors the Filipino Resource Centers (FRCs) in various locations worldwide.
ILAB also supervises and monitors the country’s adherence to and implementation of its obligations, commitments, courtesies, and facilities required by international organizations (IOs). It also offers the most up-to-date news and information from POLOs and other international organizations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), among others.
6. National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP)
The National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) is the Philippine government agency tasked to enhance the employability and competitive quality of Filipino seafarers. Not only does it offer specialization and upgrading courses for both licensed officers and otherwise, but it is also the NMP that pioneers research and studies involving the latest trends and updates in the maritime industry.
Since the Philippines is one of the major providers of maritime manpower in the international labor market, the agency struggles to stay true to its mandate to undertake research and improve the skills and quality of the human capital that they develop for the maritime industry. It also offers retraining facilities and serves as a retraining institution for maritime officers in the international maritime labor market and the domestic shipping and seafaring industry in the Philippines.
7. National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO)
The National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (NRCO) is an agency of the government created by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in order to help empower Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to achieve their success in creating a livelihood project upon returning home to the Philippines.
Its main mission is to create opportunities and empower OFWs and their families to work and live with the mindset of an entrepreneur. With the projects and services that NRCO offers, they hope to help raise awareness about the importance of saving and the value of making an investment or starting a business. It also helps cushion the blow of forced repatriation and other social migration problems by offering programs that respond to the OFWs’ reintegration needs.
8. Office for the Social Welfare Attaché (OSWA)
The Office for the Social Welfare Attaché (OSWA) is an agency of the Philippine government created by virtue of RA 11299 or the Social Welfare Attaché Act. It was created to serve as the international operating arm of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to determine, help, and protect the social and mental state of Filipinos working abroad. The agency will offer psychosocial services primarily to manage cases of overseas Filipinos in distress, such as those who were victims of any forms of abuse, trafficking, and cases of abandoned or neglected children. The OSWA services were routed through the various DSWD Home Office and Foreign Posts.
Summary
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), though relatively new in the list of Philippine government agencies dedicated to supporting the OFWs, is actually a reasonable addition to the public sector. Not only does it streamline OFW services, but it also consolidates the otherwise redundant functions of various government agencies. Before the DMW came to life, these agencies all exists, but with the creation of the department, the agencies and their functions were all subsumed, rendering some other agencies obsolete.
With the DMW keeping all OFW-related processes and services in one place, it made it easier for the government to deliver its programs and services and for the OFWs to receive them. Plus, it puts all OFW records in only one place. Getting the OFW services gathered in one place also means that it is now easier for the government to see service gaps and create an array of services, programs, and resources that will cater specifically to migrant workers’ needs.
Not only that, but having one single department also makes it clear where OFWs can seek refuge in cases of employer abuse and maltreatment, exploitation, or even illegal recruitment practices.
Such change addresses the government’s need for a single agency that could address the concerns of the OFWs according to their specific needs. It will also pave the way for better opportunities for the development and advancement of Filipino workers overseas, particularly those who are working to offer a brighter future to their families at home.
Contact Information
For more information on the programs and services offered by the DMW, you may reach out to:
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)
Office Address: Blas F. Ople Building, Ortigas Ave., Cor. EDSA Ave., Mandaluyong City
Telephone Number: 8-722-11-44 / 8-722-11-55
One Repatriation Center (Hotline): 1348
Email Address: connect@dmw.gov.ph (General Inquiry); repat@dmw.gov.ph (Request for Assistance/Repatriation), assistance@dmw.gov.ph; feedback@dmw.gov.ph (Feedback and Suggestions)
Website: www.dmw.gov.ph/
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dmw.gov.ph
Official Twitter Page: @DMWPHL