WITH the Middle East conflict still ongoing, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) is seeking additional funding for the repatriation and reintegration of affected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amounting to P12 billion.
In a press briefing Monday, April 20, 2026, Owwa Deputy Administrator Jasmine Gapatan disclosed that they have already requested for additional funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
"We are ready for repatriation and reintegration. But we can do so much more if we have more. We requested a supplemental budget of P12 billion. This is composed of P9 billion as an additional fund for emergency repatriation. And for the remaining P3 billion, we want to focus on our reintegration programs," said Gapatan.
Asked for the basis of the P12 billion additional funds being requested, Owwa Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said it is based on their projections and forecasting of the ongoing crisis in the Gulf region.
"We had to simulate. Out of 2.4M OFWs there, we want to prepare for around 60,000. We want to be wrong in this calculation. But we need to prepare for the worst case scenario," said Caunan.
According to the head of Owwa, they are making such a request as more than half of its Emergency Repatriation Fund (ERF) for 2026 have already been spent for affected OFWs.
Caunan bared that they have already spent 55 percent of the P1.4 billion ERF funds to provide assistance to OFWs in the Middle East, including those that have been repatriated.
"We have already utilized 55 percent of our ERF for this year. We have a fund of P1.2 billion from the General Appropriations Act and P200 million in continuing funds. Of this total, Owwa's utilization is now at 55 percent," said Caunan.
She said this was after a total of 6,532 OFWs and their dependents have been brought home from the crisis-torn areas, with 3,258 funded by Owwa.
"Our repatriation is continuous through chartered and commercial flights. We also provide onsite assistance, welfare check, accommodation, food, and transportation. All of these being funded by our ERF," said Caunan. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
