Ironically, it’s going back home. While it sounds like a contradiction, this is the reality many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) carry – heavier than their suitcases and the balikbayan boxes they ship to their families’ addresses. Even though the number has declined, a report by Jobstreet shows that 80% of Filipinos still wish to relocate abroad for a job — higher than the readiness rate of 68% across Southeast Asia — with “financial motives and career progression” as the main motivations.

Weathering through the challenges of working abroad usually becomes a more ideal choice than flying back home anytime soon, as this means facing the unpredictability of everyday life. It isn’t rare to hear stories about OFWs not seeing their family for more than a decade, in the name of progress and prosperity. But what about stories focused on returning and taking a different leap?

This is the case for Mirasol Bituin, a Taiwan-based semiconductor operator-turned-owner of Mhira Natural Soap. While working as an OFW, she yearned for a better future back home by establishing a business. “Noong umuwi na ako sa Pilipinas [noong] 2017, lahat ng dala kong pera, sininop ko talaga ‘yan.

Kailangan naka-budget ‘yung [mga] gagastusin sa araw-araw.” BOOSTING OPPORTUNITIES. From capacity-building to marketplace visibility, DMW and GCash join forces to support returning OFWs Like Bituin, many dream of a worry-free transition from being an OFW to an entrepreneur in their home country, allowing them to enjoy the fruits of their labor without the sacrifice of distance. Many are scared about this shift, but the recent partnership between the Department of Migrant Workers and GCash shows that support is available – and more so well-deserved – by OFWs.

A dignified return At the launch event, Julie Ann Abalos, international transfers business unit head for GCash international, shares that the partnership’s main goal lies in ensuring stable livelihoods and financial preparedness for OFWs, so reuniting with families is easier. From deployment abroad until they return home, holistic support is available. This means enabling reintegration pathways, entrepreneurship skill-building, and access to easy and secure digital tools for current and returning OFWs, among others.

“Matagal ko na ring ginagamit personally ’yung GCash payment. So syempre, hindi ka na magdadala palagi ng pera, nandiyan na, [mag-scan] ka lang... Easy to pay,” shared Bituin.

BUILDING COMMUNITIES. OFW-turned-entrepreneurs with DMW and GCash during the awarding ceremony Unlike Bituin, who built her business after arriving in the Philippines, former seafarer Rommel Forbes’ entrepreneur story started with a family business. But that didn’t mean the absence of struggles, either; he had to leave his overseas job mainly because of the pandemic.

But he’s grateful for the key figures that have kept EM-AR Handicrafts – now his business – running. Forbes shared how GCash contributed to his business’ growth: “Mabilis ang pagtanggap ng bayad mula sa customers, hindi hassle sa cash handling, mas convenient para sa online buyers, at madaling magbayad sa suppliers.” Meanwhile, DMW enabled a smooth employee-to-entrepreneur transition – access to training and programs, support in capital, production, and scaling. Ultimately, Forbes felt evolved from being a “job creator” while promoting Filipino craftsmanship.

Visibility through “Buy Lokal, By OFW” This partnership’s biggest pillar is the “Buy Lokal, By OFW” initiative, which strengthens GCash and the DMW’s support in the long run. The best part? It lets everyone participate in offering a sustainable livelihood for OFWs.

In GHub, OFW-owned businesses – like Bituin’s Mhira Natural Soap and Forbes’ EM-AR Handicrafts – are digitally showcased for marketplace visibility. Consumers can easily shop for items, creating a ripple effect in the OFW community. This platform also reflects the similar values of GCash with the DMW.

For Andrea Luisa Anolin, DMW National Reintegration Center for OFWs director, GCash has transformed small business owners’ mindset: “Nakikita nila, ‘Uy, puwede palang yung [aking] negosyo, mapa-sali doon sa GHub.’ So parang [sinasabi nila,] gusto ko nang [mag-comply] doon sa regulatory requirements,” Anolin shared. SHOWCASING TALENTS. Andrea Luisa Anolin, DMW National Reintegration Center for OFWs director, checks out the OFW-owned businesses during the trade fair While it was challenging for the institution to innovate for the entrepreneurs, Anolin said they easily saw these values put into practice by GCash.

When it comes to values, “financial inclusion” frequently gets repeated in this program’s DNA. But what does it really mean? For Anolin, it goe