Villanueva to gov’t: Tap talent pool of repatriated OFWs

FILE PHOTO: Overseas Filipino workers/REUTERS

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Joel Villanueva called on the government Sunday to craft a national strategy that would tap the talent pool of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have returned to the country for good.

“This is the brain gain we should be exploiting. There is a social dividend waiting to be earned from this reverse Diaspora,” said Villanueva in a statement.

“I view their return as an enhancement of our labor pool. They’re bringing with them skills they have acquired abroad. Our society must benefit from their experience, and government must show the way,” he added.

The senator noted that manpower and mentorship, such as construction, are necessary for post-COVID economic recovery.

Villanueva said that returned information and communication technology professionals can help in driving the economy towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He likewise shared that “OFWs can be agents of upskilling.”

The legislator said that there are measures which mandate the government to reintegrate the returned workers to the country’s economic fabric.

“Yung Section 17 ng bagong pasa na Department of Migrant Workers Act ay nag-uutos ng ‘full-cycle national reintegration program.’ The law explicitly calls for the “transfer of technology from skilled or professional OFWs,” Villanueva, the bill’s principal author, said.

(The Section 17 of the newly passed Department of Migrant Workers Act orders for the “full-cycle national reintegration program.”)

Villanueva also cited Republic Act No. 11230 or the Tulong-Trabaho Act, which he also principally authored.

“To [fast track] the implementation of programs that will enrich our technical skills, the participation of OFWs is a must. If they have been able to conquer the world with their abilities, it is time to tap it for the progress of their homeland,” he said.

He said that job fairs or hiring roadshows should be rolled out to fill out job vacancies.

The Philippine Statistics Authority earlier reported that the number of registered OFWs dropped by 18.6 percent or from 2.18 million in 2019 to 1.77 million in 2020.

/MUF