PRESS RELEASE
WDC-6-2021
3 March 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Philippine Embassy in the United States, through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO-WDC) and Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC-WDC), resumed its Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) webinar series, which debuted in 2019 highlighting local employment opportunities and livelihood package offered by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for Overseas Filipino Workers displaced by COVID-19.
Mr. Jill Borjal, chief of staff of DOLE Assistant Secretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay, presented the programs of DOLE in facilitating gainful employment for returning overseas Filipinos. From traditional job and business fairs, the program innovated to online job assistance online platforms called E-Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan that provides wage employment, entrepreneurship opportunities and trainings. Returning overseas Filipinos searching for local employment opportunities may visit the website for the industries with job vacancies.
Assistant Secretary Tutay stressed that workforce development through upskilling, reskilling and retooling of returning Filipino workers role shall be DOLE’s focus under the National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS). In partnership with other national government agencies, DOLE shall provide trainings on improving the digital skills of the workers based on the vacancies and postings in February this year. As of 04 February 2021, around 4,244 job postings for the top 3 industries namely, call center/BPO, IT services, manufacturing, and construction were already posted by DOLE.
The Officer-In-Charge of the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (OFWs), Labor Attaché Roel Martin said that livelihood grants may be availed of through Balik Pinas, Balik Hanapbuhay program and Tulong Pangkabuhayan sa Pag-Unlad ng Samahang OFWs (Tulong Puso) for OFWs who formed themselves as an association. Martin also highlighted the Balik Probinsya program of OWWA which assisted 431, 588 repatriated workers back to their hometown as of 05 February 2021.Commercial Counselor Raymond Batac, head of PTIC-WDC, encouraged the overseas Filipinos to make good use of the available opportunities provided by the Philippine government. The Philippine Embassy and its attached agencies will continue to provide information on opportunities back home not only in the urban areas but also in the rural communities.
