CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) —The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)-10 and Department of Education (DepEd)-10 rolled out reintegration programs for returning overseas Filipino workers during the Balikbayang Manggagawa National Reintegration Network Regional Fair on April 13 in Cagayan de Oro City

The activity brought together government agencies to provide employment services, livelihood support, and training programs for returning workers.

Among the programs presented was the Sa ‘Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir (SPIMS), a reintegration initiative for licensed teachers implemented with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Frederico P. Martin, assistant regional director of DepEd-10, said returning educators can contribute to the local education system.

“Let us move forward together, united not by circumstance, but by conviction. For in every returning educator lies a story waiting to be retold in the classrooms of our homeland, and every partnership forged today lies a future strengthened for tomorrow. As we also welcome the latest batch of SPIMS home, let us remember, a nation is not measured only by how far its people go, but by how powerfully it calls them back, and how purposefully it receives them,” he said.

Agnes L. Lamoste, a beneficiary of the program and now a teacher at Camaman-an Elementary School, said the program helped her return to the country.

“At least, ang SPIMS, nahimo siya nga assurance nako nga inig uli nako naa ko’y maulian. Ang process niya, ug kumpleto ka ug approved imohang requirements, dali ra diay siya kaayo. So, mao tua nga igo lang jod ko nahuman sa akong contract didto, nakauli nako kay niabot naman akoang endorsement dayon,” she said.

(At least, SPIMS became my assurance that I would have something to return to. The process is very quick as long as your requirements are complete and approved. Because of that, as soon as I finished my contract abroad, I was able to come home because my endorsement arrived immediately.)

Carmelita P. Amora, now a teacher at Agusan Elementary School, said the program enabled her to teach again after working abroad.

“Naka-decide ko og avail aning SPIMS Program kay bata pa lang ko, gusto nako mag-teach, gali lang pag-graduate nako ug pagpasar sa board exam kato 2019, nahitabo sad ang pandemic ug wala kaayo gahire ug teacher, busa ni-abroad na lang ko. Dako kaayo ang akong pasalamat sa SPIMS program for opening the doors and guiding me toward success nga nahimo ako nga teacher ug nakatabang sad ko sa akoang mga sibling,” Amora said.

(I decided to avail of the SPIMS Program because I’ve wanted to teach since I was young, but after I graduated and passed the board in 2019, the pandemic hit, and there was no hiring, so I went abroad instead. I am so grateful to the SPIMS program for opening doors and guiding me toward success, allowing me to become a teacher and help my siblings.)

Emmanuel G. Toledo, regional director of DMW-10, said the agency is also working with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide training programs for returning workers.

“We have a program under TESDA that we are currently working on, and we are encouraging all those repatriated OFWs and former OFWs, if you want to reskill or upskill, we have two programs with TESDA: either enroll in artificial intelligence or virtual assistant training. We are targeting at least 200 for the initial launch of this program. If this is successful, we will continue with this program because what we need today is to reskill and upskill our repatriated OFWs,” Toledo said.

The fair served as a venue for returning workers to access services from participating agencies. (IJBD/PIA-10)