DMW inaugurates Hungary office – BusinessWorld Online
THE PHILIPPINES’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) inaugurated its first overseas labor office in Budapest, Hungary, as part of efforts to expand government support for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) across Europe.
The office, unveiled last Oct. 18, was established to unify and streamline services for Filipino workers abroad, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We opened more than just doors; we opened a new chapter of service, compassion, and commitment,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said during the ceremony, calling the Budapest branch “a true home” for OFWs in Central Europe.
Situated near the Hungarian Parliament building, the new labor office will serve as a hub for providing welfare assistance, labor protection, and employment facilitation for Filipinos working in Hungary and nearby European countries.
The facility is the DMW’s first overseas office since its creation in 2022, fulfilling President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s directive to strengthen institutional support for the Filipino diaspora.
Mr. Cacdac said the office embodies the government’s push to deliver “compassionate, efficient, and integrity-driven service” to migrant workers, who remain a crucial driver of the Philippine economy through their remittances.
Europe hosts about 200,000 Filipino OFWs, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s data for 2023.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported record remittances overall in 2023 with $37 billion, of which $3.8 billion came from Europe. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
