DMW faces budget cut despite record $35.63-B remittances

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)is facing a smaller budget in 2027 even as overseas Filipino workers sent home a record $35.63 billion last year and continue to account for a significant share of the economy.

The DMW and its attached agency, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, have a combined proposed allocation of around ₱11.6 billion.

The amount is lower than the current budget, according to the DMW presentation to the House committee on appropriations.

“Compared to the 2026 General Appropriations Act, the 2027 NEP is lower by P129 million and this is about a decrease of 3 percent,” Migrant Workers Undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay said during Wednesday’s (Aug. 26) budget briefing.

The government has highlighted the growing economic contribution of Filipinos working abroad.

Remittances reached a record $35.63 billion in 2025, up 3.3 percent from the previous year. 

The figure was equivalent to nearly 8 percent of the gross domestic product, House appropriations committee vice chairperson Irene Labadlabad said during the hearing.

Official data also put 2025 remittances at $35.63 billion, representing 3.3 percent growth.

The proposed budget covers 42 Migrant Workers offices abroad, regional offices, the OFW Hospital and programs providing legal, medical and repatriation assistance to distressed Filipinos.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the department has repatriated around 12,000 Filipinos from seven countries affected by conflict.

More than 20,000 others received $200 in financial assistance after suffering reduced salaries, working hours, shifts or overtime because of overseas crises.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved an additional ₱3 billion in June for the repatriation and reintegration of displaced OFWs, particularly those affected by conflict in the Middle East. 

Cacdac told lawmakers that the availability of funds determines how quickly the government can step in when Filipinos abroad need help.

“Every centavo counts,” Cacdac said.

“When we are in a position to say yes to a request, when we are in a position to not even wait for the request for assistance but volunteer our services because we have a fund, we have resources to back it up.”

The proposed 2027 budget retains a ₱2-billion fund for legal, medical, repatriation and other forms of assistance to OFWs.

Another ₱978 million is proposed for emergency repatriation involving conflicts, pandemics, calamities and similar emergencies.