Returning OFWs get business, livelihood opportunities as DOST joins Batangas ‘BBM’ mega job fair

From the DOST public archive. Original source publication date: 2026-06-23. Captured 2026-09-04. Read the original DOST source.

This record preserves information as published on the source website. It does not confirm that a historical opportunity, deadline, service requirement, contact, or planned project is current. Check with the responsible DOST office before acting.

Staged text edition: Source images are not included because image recovery was blocked. The captured article text is preserved; illustrations remain pending recovery.

Batangas City- Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) get a chance to explore new opportunities in entrepreneurship and scholarship offerings as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Batangas joined the recent ‘Bayanihan para sa Balikbayang Mangagawa–National Reintegration Network’ (BBM-NRN) and Mega Job Fair at the Batangas City Convention Center.

The BBM-NRN and Mega Job Fair gathered government agencies, private organizations, and employers to provide reintegration assistance, livelihood opportunities, and employment services for returning OFWs, job seekers, and their families.

During the activity, DOST-Batangas introduced programs designed to help former overseas workers build sustainable livelihoods and pursue entrepreneurship opportunities in their home communities.

Among the featured initiatives was the Innovations for Filipinos Working Distantly from the Philippines (iFWD PH) Program, which assists returning OFWs in establishing technology-based and innovation-driven enterprises.

DOST personnel provided information on how participants can access technology interventions, technical assistance, and business development support to help transform their entrepreneurial ideas into viable enterprises.

The agency also promoted the Undergraduate Scholarship Program and Junior Level Science Scholarship Program to eligible students, particularly dependents and family members of OFWs. Participants received information on scholarship benefits, qualifications, priority degree programs, and application procedures to encourage more young Filipinos pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Several participants likewise inquired about DOST's technology training, consultancy services, and the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), which helps micro, small, and medium enterprises seeking to improve productivity, product quality, and competitiveness through technology adoption.

The activity, organized by the Department of Migrant Workers Region IV-A, highlighted how government programs can support OFWs not only in securing employment opportunities upon returning home but also in creating sustainable sources of income through entrepreneurship, innovation, and education. Through its participation in the reintegration fair, DOST-Batangas reinforced its commitment to help returning OFWs and their families build resilient futures by providing access to science and technology-based opportunities that promote socioeconomic development.

The iFWD PH is one of the many initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.region4a.dost.gov.ph. (By John Maico M. Hernandez, DOST-CALABARZON)