DAVAO City Councilor Rachel Zozobrado is pushing for better legislation to protect the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), as cases of illegal recruitment are still rampant and continue to target aspiring migrant workers.
Zozobrado, chairperson of the Committee on International Relations, said that the city government of Davao plays a meaningful role in protecting migrant workers. She said that the local government continues to strengthen its collaboration with the Department of Migrant Workers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the city’s OFW Families Welfare and Crisis Center under the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) to ensure that there are accessible services not only for OFWs but also for their families.
“The true measure of our gratitude is not found in how often we call them heroes. It is found in how effectively we protect their rights, support their families, and create conditions where migration becomes a genuine choice rather than a necessity,” she said during her privilege speech on June 9, 2026, at the Sanguniang Panlungsod.
Zozobrado said that as part of the local government’s aim of safeguarding the welfare of OFWs, the city is supporting the conduct of Pre-Employment Seminars in barangays to ensure that aspiring OFWs are equipped with the needed information before they decide to work abroad.
She said that her committee is working on a legislative measure to address the increasing rate of illegal recruitment and to strengthen local mechanisms for migrant worker protection. She said they are studying initiatives that would provide OFW assistance closer to communities, such as the establishment of OFW help desks at the barangay level.
“These initiatives may appear modest when compared to the scale of migration, but meaningful protection often begins at the local level. It begins with informed communities, accessible services, and institutions that listen and respond,” she said.
Commemoration for OFWs
The councilor said that many OFWs have made invaluable contributions as nurses, caregivers, engineers, seafarers, domestic workers, teachers, technicians, hospitality workers, and professionals in different sectors. She said that their skills, resilience, and work ethic have earned them respect in several parts of the world.
Still, many OFWs face serious challenges, such as the increasing cases of illegal recruitment, wherein individuals prey on aspiring migrant workers by offering non-existent jobs, charging excessive fees, or promising opportunities that turn out to be fraudulent.
Other workers even encounter contract substitution, delayed wages, poor working conditions, discrimination, abuse, and limited access to legal remedies.
Zozobrado said that even those who have successful careers abroad still suffer the emotional burden of being separated from their loved ones. She said that many children grow up with one or even both parents working abroad.
She said that every June 7, the Philippines commemorates National Migrant Workers’ Day in line with Republic Act No. 8042, also known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995. This marks the signing of a landmark law that recognizes not only the contribution of migrant workers but also the country’s duty to protect their dignity, welfare, and rights.
Zozobrado said that the challenge for the Philippines is that OFWs should not just be honored through words but in ensuring that policies, programs, and institutions respond to the needs of OFWs at the national level.
She said that the country celebrates this occasion by expressing gratitude to OFWs, acknowledging their sacrifices, recognizing their contributions, and calling them heroes. However, beyond the appreciation OFWs receive is the reality of life as an OFW. She said that for many Filipinos, working abroad is not just a dream, but a difficult decision made in the hope of having opportunities, stability, and a better future for their families.
Zozobrado said that behind every remittance sent home is a parent who misses birthdays, graduations, and family dinners, among others. She said that behind every successful OFW story is a period of uncertainty, adjustment, loneliness, and sacrifice that often remains unseen.
Illegal recruitment
Data from the Department of Migrant Workers show Davao City recorded 72 human trafficking-related cases as of Dec. 31, 2025—the highest in the Davao Region.
Davao del Norte recorded 13 cases, followed by Davao Oriental (12), Davao del Sur (10), Davao de Oro (two), and none in Davao Occidental.
Of the 72 individuals in Davao City who sought an Illegal Recruitment Certificate, most came from Talomo (16), Marilog (15), Toril (nine), Calinan (seven), Buhangin (four), Bunawan and Poblacion (three each), Agdao (two), and Paquibato and Tugbok (one each). Eleven cases remain unidentified, but are from the city.
Most victims are women lured by job offers in Japan, Australia, and Canada. She added that many suspected recruiters operate in Davao City, though authorities have yet to confirm their residency. RGP
