Returning OFWs Get Business, Livelihood Opportunities at Batangas Fair
A Batangas job fair offered returning OFWs entrepreneurship support, scholarships, and technology upgrading programs.
A total of 2,218 job openings were available to 478 job seekers, including returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), at a June 5 government job fair in Batangas that was organized by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Regional Office IV-A.
This is one of at least 15 such fairs DMW has held nationwide.
“Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa–National Reintegration Network” and Mega Job Fair, held at the Batangas City Convention Center, gathered government agencies, private organizations, and employers to provide reintegration assistance, livelihood opportunities, and employment services.
One of the agencies, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Batangas, offered its Innovations for Filipinos Working Distantly from the Philippines Program, which assists returning OFWs in establishing technology-based and innovation-driven enterprises.
DOST personnel provided information on how participants can access technology interventions, technical assistance, and business development support to help turn their ideas into businesses..
A former OFW from Saudi Arabia who returned to build an advertising business signed a Memorandum of Agreement with DOST-Batangas on June 10, 2026 under the said program. The assistance enabled the procurement of a laser-cutting machine, with the purchase targeted to yield at least a 10% increase in income growth.
Participants likewise inquired about the agency’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), which helps micro, small, and medium enterprises improve productivity, product quality, and competitiveness through technology adoption.
The agency also discussed the Undergraduate Scholarship Program and Junior Level Science Scholarship Program with eligible students.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Mangagawa–National Reintegration Network (BBM-NRN) Mega Job Fair brings together government agencies, private organizations, and employers to provide reintegration assistance, livelihood opportunities, and employment services for returning OFWs, job seekers, and their families. The Batangas City Convention Center hosted the most recent edition.
The Innovations for Filipinos Working Distantly from the Philippines (iFWD PH) Program is an initiative that assists returning OFWs in establishing technology-based and innovation-driven enterprises. It provides access to technology interventions, technical assistance, and business development support to help transform ideas into enterprises.
DOST-Batangas discussed two scholarship programs — the Undergraduate Scholarship Program and the Junior Level Science Scholarship Program — targeting eligible students, particularly dependents and family members of OFWs.
SETUP is a DOST program that helps micro, small, and medium enterprises improve productivity, product quality, and competitiveness through technology adoption.
Returning OFWs can connect through public events such as the BBM-NRN Mega Job Fair, where agency personnel provide information on available programs, including iFWD PH, SETUP, and scholarship offerings.
