CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (April 21) — After years of working abroad, many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) return home carrying savings, stories—and uncertainty.
In Northern Mindanao, a government-led reintegration fair is turning that uncertainty into opportunity.
On April 13, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)-10 and Department of Education (DepEd)-10 gathered agencies and partners under one roof for the Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network Regional Fair, offering returning OFWs something tangible: jobs, training, and a way forward.
For some, it meant reclaiming a long-delayed dream.
Agnes L. Lamoste spent years working overseas, unsure what awaited her back home. Through Sa ‘Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir (SPIMS)—a reintegration program for licensed teachers—she found her answer.
“SPIMS gave me assurance that I had something to return to,” she said.
Today, she’s back in the classroom, teaching at Camaman-an Elementary School.
Carmelita P. Amora’s path tells a similar story. A newly licensed teacher in 2019, she was forced to look abroad when the pandemic froze local hiring. Teaching had to wait.
Now, it doesn’t have to anymore.
“I’ve wanted to teach since I was young,” she said. “This program opened that door again.”
SPIMS, implemented with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, is one of several reintegration efforts highlighted at the fair—designed not just to welcome OFWs home, but to plug them back into the local workforce with purpose.
For DepEd-10 Assistant Regional Director Frederico P. Martin, returning educators are more than rehires—they are assets.
“Every returning educator brings a story that can shape our classrooms,” he said.
Beyond teaching, the reintegration push is also preparing workers for a changing economy.
The DMW is partnering with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to roll out training in high-demand fields like artificial intelligence and virtual assistance, targeting at least 200 participants in its initial phase.
“What we need now is to reskill and upskill our returning OFWs,” said DMW-10 Regional Director Emmanuel G. Toledo.
Inside the fair, that effort was already taking shape—OFWs lining up for consultations, exploring job options, and signing up for training.
It’s a scene that reflects a shift in how migration is understood—not as a one-way journey, but a cycle that can lead back home, stronger.
For many who once left in search of opportunity, the message is clear:
Coming home is no longer the end of the road. It’s the start of something new.
