RETURNING overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may avail themselves of a P1-million grant if they decide to open businesses with their fellow repatriates.

In a televised press briefing, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) said groups of returning OFWs may receive assistance under the "Tulong Puso Group Livelihood Program” if they form a cooperative or establish a company.

"For OFW groups, who will be joining forces, to form corporations, workers associations, cooperatives for their businesses, we will give them a starting grant of P150,000 to P1 million depending on the size of the business," said Owwa Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac.

To ensure that the OFWs will be capable of handling such a business endeavor, the Owwa chief said beneficiaries will have to undergo a series of seminars on how to establish and run businesses.

"For those interested, it all begins with these entrepreneurship seminars," Cacdac said.

Based on the latest Owwa data, a total of 302,000 OFWs have been repatriated since May 2020 after they were displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Cacdac said they are still expecting at least 70,000 more OFWs to return home until the end of 2020. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)