MANILA — Overseas employment for Filipinos returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, an official of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Thursday.

DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency issued some 2.5 million overseas employment certificates (OECs) and passes to OFWs last year.

“By and large, talagang bumalik sa pre-pandemic levels and more ang overseas employment ng ating mga mahal na OFWs, 2.5 million ang overseas employment certificates and passes ang na-issue ng ating mga tauhan...para magkaroon, mag-facilitate ng mga trabaho ng mga OFWs," Cacdac said in a public briefing.

"Of course, iyong ating pagbubukas ng merkado sa Saudi after a deployment ban ay nagbigay-daan din sa restoration of Saudi-Philippines bilateral labor relations na nagbigay ng empleyo sa higit-kumulang na mga 90,000 OFWs na nagtungo sa Saudi Arabia,” he added.

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The official credited the efforts of the late former DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople for reducing the time needed to process the OECs from the previous 30 days to only one or two weeks, as well as facilitating the efficient provision of assistance to distressed OFWs.

“Higit-kumulang, ang mga natulungan nating distressed Filipino workers ay pumalo na hanggang 50,000... Doon sa repatriation effort ay higit-kumulang mga 15,000 ang nakauwi,” Cacdac said.

The official noted that the government’s One Repatriation Command Center alone assisted a monthly average of 1,000 distressed OFWs who needed repatriation. They received livelihood assistance on their return to the Philippines, he said.

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