Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday urged overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who left their agricultural lands behind when they decided to pursue "greener pastures" abroad to come back home after finishing their contracts and pursue agriculture and related enterprises as alternative source of income to overseas or local wage employment.
"Returning OFWs, OFWs who had been displaced, or OFWs who had become victims of abuse should not be afraid to come home to the Philippines, particularly if they have idle farmlands. Their lands are a source of income security," said Baldoz.
"You should not be worried. You can develop your farms through organic farming, or start your own agribusiness and expand it with the assistance of the National Reintegration Center for OFWs through loan from the P2-billion national reintegration loan fund," Baldoz said.
Baldoz issued the challenge after Philippine Labor Attache to Hong Kong Manuel Roldan reported about the recent visit of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.
According to Roldan, Secretary Alcala met with the Filipino community in Hong Kong and attended a seminar on organic farming and chicken-and-rabbit-raising conducted by one Dr. Rey Itchon of the Spread Organic in the Philippines (SOAP) for Hong Kong OFWs.
The seminar, attended by 100 OFWs, is part of the regular agricultural livelihood training conducted every Sunday at the Filipino Workers Resource Center.
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