Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Migrant Workers wants representation on the PhilHealth board, saying overseas Filipino workers should have a voice in the state health insurer because they are required to contribute to the fund.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac raised the proposal during the department’s budget deliberations as lawmakers questioned how the government covers the medical expenses of OFWs.
Cacdac said PhilHealth coverage is mandatory for migrant workers under existing law, but the DMW currently does not sit on the board of the state health insurer.
“PhilHealth is mandatory. It’s prescribed by law,” Cacdac said on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
“We are not a member of the PhilHealth board, but we will make a proposal to amend the PhilHealth law,” he added.
Cacdac noted that the Department of Labor and Employment previously represented migrant workers on the PhilHealth board before the creation of the DMW.
“So it would be good if we were given a seat at the PhilHealth board to represent the OFW interest because OFWs also contribute to the PhilHealth fund,” he said.
DMW covers medical bills
The department also uses its Action Fund to provide medical assistance to OFWs whose expenses are not sufficiently covered by insurance.
Cacdac said most OFWs have insurance coverage in their host countries, while mandatory insurance is also available on the Philippine side.
The DMW allows those sources to cover medical expenses first before government funds are used.
“If there is no insurance coverage on either side, that’s where the Action Fund will go,” Cacdac said.
The department does not impose a fixed ceiling on assistance for some serious medical cases, according to Cacdac.
He cited the case of an OFW with Stage 4 cancer whose hospital bill exceeded ₱1 million.
“The hospital bill is more than a million pesos, we pay the hospital bill,” Cacdac said.
From January to July 2026, the DMW said its Action Fund provided medical assistance to 1,173 OFWs, while another 2,610 received legal assistance and 7,329 received repatriation assistance.
The department reported a total of 145,448 beneficiaries and services funded through the Action Fund during the seven-month period.
Since the Action Fund began operating in July 2023, the DMW said the number of beneficiaries and assistance provided has reached 606,921 as of July 2026.
