SALCEDA TO FILE “BALIKBAYANI CENTER” BILL: A MALASAKIT CENTER FOR OFWs AND DEPENDENTS

May 20th, 2025

Ligao City, Albay — Congressman-elect Raymond Adrian Salceda announced that he will file the Balikbayani Center Act at the opening of the 20th Congress this July, creating a one-stop reintegration hub for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their dependents—modeled after the successful Malasakit Center initiative.

“Balik ka sa bayan — may gobyernong sasalubong,” Salceda said. “This bill will make sure that the first thing our OFWs encounter when they return home is care, not confusion.”

The Balikbayani Centers will consolidate key reintegration services in one location, with emergency and reception desks at major ports of entry (NAIA, Cebu, Davao) and permanent full-service centers in regional cities such as Legazpi to serve provincial returnees.

Each center will bring together frontline agencies:

• OWWA – Certification, counseling, and referrals for livelihood, training, and reintegration services

• DSWD – Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) grants, shelter referrals, meals, and transport home

• DOLE – TUPAD jobs and starter livelihood kits

• TESDA – Training enrollment with allowances and toolkits

• DTI – MSME support and business startup assistance

• DOH & LGUs – Health checkups, psychological services, and access to Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP) for OFW dependents

The bill notably includes OFW dependents—spouses, children, and parents—in the coverage of reintegration services, recognizing their vital role in the migration journey.

“This is not just a policy of convenience—it’s a policy of care,” Salceda added. “We are applying the Malasakit model to labor migration. This is Malasakit for workers who build the homes they don’t get to live in, and for families who waited years for their return.”

The measure gives priority to vulnerable and labor-intensive jobs such as caregiving, construction, domestic work, and factory labor.

Importantly, the bill requires no new bureaucracy. It will be funded through the OWWA Trust Fund, DSWD and DOLE Special Purpose Funds, and the President’s Socioeconomic Projects Fund. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will serve as lead implementing agency.

The Balikbayani Center Act will be filed on July 22, 2025.