DMW program gives former OFWs who once gave up teaching
DAVAO CITY (PIA) -- A total of 44 teachers who used to work abroad expressed their gratitude to the government’s OFW reintegration program, which they said gave them a second chance to pursue their careers in the academe.
The teachers were among those who took part in the “Sa ‘Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am at Sir” (SPIMS) a special program of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) that aims to help returning overseas Filipino workers who used to work as school teachers get back to the classrooms.
The regional office of the DMW enlisted them to the program, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd).
DMW also distributed teaching kits worth P20,000 to the 44 beneficiaries of the SPIMS program.
Dondee Palmero, who worked as a teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia before she was forced to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was thankful for the DMW’s efforts.
“We are very thankful for this program. We, as former OFWs, are really delighted, and we are really privileged also dahil may programa ang gobyerno para tulungan kami [because the government has a program to help us] to reintegrate,” Palmero said.
Palmero emphasized how the program allowed him to share the experiences and learnings he had gained while working abroad with his learners, co-teachers, and the community.
“It was also a good thing that I could impart the learning I gained. We are acclimated to the different culture, we become more complete teachers dahil naibabahagi namin ang mga karanasan namin [because we can share our experiences] culturally to our clients as well as the learners,” he shared.
When asked about his plans to work again abroad, he stated, “Maybe it’s a sign from God that I have to stay here… This opportunity gave me the privilege to be with my family, so I’d rather stay here and continue working to serve the Filipino people like our learners.”
With the assistance received, he said that he would use it to buy some teaching materials and equipment that he could use in his teaching and share with his co-teachers.
Palmero is a full-time teacher at Mulig Elementary School in Toril, Davao City.
Similarly, Janice Luvinia Baluyo, a single parent with three children, is thankful for the SPIMS program of DMW, saying that she would not enjoy what she has achieved now if not for the program.
Baluyo recalled how hard it was to secure a teaching position in a public school in her locality. She shared that she attempted to apply twice; however, all had little chance of getting hired and securing a permanent teaching position.
With responsibilities on her shoulders as a single parent, she decided to work abroad. She worked in Kuwait as an in-house tutor for 15 months.
However, months later, she did not expect to be given a teaching position from her last application at a public school in her locality. Being employed in Kuwait, she had no choice but to reject the offer.
Baluyo recalled how her life turned upside down when she got ill while working in Kuwait. With no one to ask for help, she bravely reached out to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Kuwait, which led to her repatriation to her hometown in Davao City.
She said that her return to Davao with no work opportunities was her lowest point, until her friend, who is a teacher in Thailand, told her about the DMW’s SPIMS program.
She said the program’s quick response to her needs put her at ease. The pro
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