After years of working abroad as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), many of our “Modern Heroes” find it a struggle to reintegrate into the society they’ve left years ago. Luckily, OWWA offers the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program (BPBH), an initiative meant to support, protect, and provide immediate relief to repatriated OFWs by giving them a one-time cash aid for their start-up or as additional capital for their livelihood project.
This is just one of the many forms of grants, assistance, and aid offered by OWWA to its active members. So, if you are repatriated and are looking for cash assistance to expand an existing business or to start a new one, you can check about how to avail of the Php 20,000.00 OWWA Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay Program.
Also Read: OWWA Mobile App: How to Download and Register for OFWs
In this guide, we detailed everything that you need to know about OWWA’s Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! (BPBH) Program – from the requirements to the application procedures, where to apply, and what to expect during the application. Read on and find out how you can avail of this livelihood assistance program today!
What is Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program (BPBH)?
The Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program (BPBH) is an OWWA initiative meant to support distressed or displaced OFWs. The program aims to help active and inactive OWWA members reintegrate into the economic and livelihood spectrum of the society after being repatriated for whatever reason.
Under the program, the following repatriated OFWs are entitled to this livelihood assistance program:
- Displaced due to political chaos, war, or economic problems
- Victimized by illegal recruiters, human traffickers
- Suffered from maltreatment, or verbal/sexual abuses
- Repatriated due to employer’s personal financial problems
- Distressed and are now being cared for by the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Resource Centers
The program itself is handled by OWWA Regional Welfare Offices and is given directly to repatriated distressed OFW members. The disbursement of the cash assistance is from Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
What can OWWA members get from the BPBH Program?
- Cash Assistance – The program offers a livelihood support package and assistance in the form of cash assistance. Note that the amount of assistance given must be used for livelihood and it will vary depending on the status of the OWWA membership:
- Active OWWA members can get cash assistance of up to a maximum of Php 20,000.
- Inactive OWWA Members with more than one (1) contribution can get up to Php 10,000.
- Inactive OWWA members who have paid only one (1) contribution can get a maximum of Php 5,000.
- Entrepreneurship development training (EEDT)
- Other services that will help the beneficiaries start or manage a livelihood venture, such as marketing linkages and job referrals.
In times of crisis, the OFWs have it tough as they are typically the first to be affected. Usually, the Philippine government arranges for their return, cutting off their livelihood. Fortunately, OWWA has livelihood support or assistance programs like the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program (BPBH) so the repatriated OFWs may find it just a bit easier to get reintroduced and re-inserted to the community upon their repatriation.
Before you get too interested in the BPBH program, however, you’d want to check on the qualifications and requirements that you will be needing for the application:
Qualifications
Before you get too interested in the BPBH program, however, you’d want to check on the qualifications to see if you are even eligible to start an application:
- You can apply for the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! (BPBH) program if you are an OFW OWWA member who was stopped from working because your employer is facing financial trouble.
- You are eligible for the BPBH program if you are an OFW displaced by war, economic problems, or political chaos.
- It is open to OFWs who have been victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, maltreatment, and sexual abuse abroad.
- You may also apply for the livelihood assistance under the BPBH if you are a distressed or displaced OFW who is currently waiting to be sent back home to the Philippines.
Requirements
Here’s the list of requirements that you will need to prepare before you head on to learning how the application process for the BPBH Program goes:
For Active Members:
- Proof of OWWA Membership like:
- OWWA Membership Records
- OFW Verification Sheet issued by OWWA
- Duly accomplished Application Form with Personal Undertaking (Sariling Salaysay) that the cash assistance will be used solely for livelihood activities of OFW
- Proof of repatriation or return to the Philippines which could be either
- First page of passport showing the last departure and arrival in the Philippines and a visa stamp of the country abroad
- Airline ticket
- Boarding pass
- Travel documents)
- Proof of displacement including
- Termination letter from employer,
- Referral letter/certification from POLO or Philippine Embassy
- SENA Complaint
- Request for repatriation
- Medical Records (if OFW is medically displaced / repatriated)
- Proof of Residency (Barangay Certificate/Clearance)
For Inactive Members:
- Proof of OWWA Membership like:
- OWWA Membership Records
- OFW Verification Sheet issued by OWWA
- Proof of repatriation or return to the Philippines which could be either
- First page of passport showing the last departure and arrival in the Philippines and a visa stamp of the country abroad
- Airline ticket
- Boarding pass
- Travel documents)
- Proof of displacement including
- Termination letter from employer,
- Referral letter/certification from POLO or Philippine Embassy
- SENA Complaint
- Request for repatriation
- Medical Records (if OFW is medically displaced / repatriated)
- Proof of Residency (Barangay Certificate/Clearance)
For Undocumented OFWs:
- At least two (2) valid government IDs including the passport
- Proof of repatriation or return to the Philippines which could be either
- First page of passport showing the last departure and arrival in the Philippines and a visa stamp of the country abroad
- Airline ticket
- Boarding pass
- Travel documents)
- Proof of displacement including
- Termination letter from employer,
- Referral letter/certification from POLO or Philippine Embassy
- SENA Complaint
- Request for repatriation
- Medical Records (if OFW is medically displaced / repatriated)
- Proof of Residency (Barangay Certificate/Clearance)
Other requirements:
- One (1) 2×2 ID picture
- Duly filled-up Simple Business Plan
- Sketch of home and business site
- Certificate of Training Attended
- Entrepreneurial Development Training
- Skills Training
How to Apply for Balik Pinas! Program by OWWA
To avail the BPBH program benefits, you may follow these steps:
- Set up an appointment (via the website at appointment.owwa.gov.ph or the mobile app) at the OWWA Regional Welfare Office that covers your permanent address.
- Choose the OWWA RWO nearest to your permanent address along with the program you are visiting them for.
- Select your preferred appointment date.
- Key in your Personal Information.
- Wait for the Appointment Confirmation.
- Visit the OWWA Regional Welfare Office (RWO) on your confirmed appointment date.
- Get a queuing number or queue in the line.
- Present and submit the documentary requirements to the Reintegration Unit Staff.
- Attend the scheduled Enterprise Development Training (EDT) session at the OWWA RWO.
- After the EDT session is completed and you have received the EDT completion certificate, submit the application forms and complete the rest of the requirements.
- Prepare for the Business Site Inspection by the OWWA RWO. Once approved, the RWO will schedule the release date of the cash assistance and the repatriated OFW will receive a notice of approval and claiming.
- For approved applications, you may visit the RWO on the designated release date and claim the financial assistance
Video: Get to Know Marilou Oliver, a BPBH Beneficiary from Region IV-B
Meet Marilou Oliver, an OFW from Region IV-B (MIMAROPA) who worked at a restaurant in Qatar. She lost her job and was displaced when the pandemic struck so she had no other option but to accept the repatriation offer and return to the Philippines. Upon her return, she was one of the repatriated OFWs who received the Balik PInas! Balik Hanapbuhay Program livelihood assistance worth Php 20,000.00 and the DOLE-AKAP Assistance worth Php 10,000.00. Now she’s a businesswoman in her own right and a proud owner of a salon.
Watch her BPBH story here:
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most common questions asked about the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program of the OWWA for its member OFW.
1. What are the inclusions of the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Livelihood Assistance Program?
Aside from the cash assistance ranging from Php 5,000.00 to Php 20,000.00, the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! (BPBH) Program package also includes:
- Techno-Skills or Entrepreneurial Training
- Starter Kits/ Goods
- Services that can help the beneficiaries to start a livelihood project through self-employment immediately
2. Can I avail the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program benefits more than once?
No. Just like most other OWWA programs, you can only avail of the BPBH Livelihood Assistance Program once.
3. Is there a time limit to when we can avail of the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program?
Yes. If you are an OWWA member OFW and you are interested in availing the benefits of the BPBH Livelihood Assistance Program, then you are encouraged to do so within one (1) year after your return to the country.
4. Who is not eligible for the BPBH Livelihood Assistance Program?
Those who are not eligible for the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! (BPBH) Program are the OWWA Members-OFW who finished their employment contracts. Note that this program is only for repatriated, distressed, or displaced OFWs who were unable to complete their contracts due to uncontrollable reasons.
5. When we went to the nearest OWWA Regional Welfare Office (RWO), they sent us back home and advised us to set an appointment first. How can we inquire or arrange an appointment?
If you need to set an appointment, you can do so by going to the OWWA website and accessing the scheduler or by using the OWWA Mobile Application. If you already have an account on the OWWA Mobile App, you may proceed to the steps in inquiring or setting an appointment, otherwise, you have to sign up for an account on the OWWA Mobile App first.
Setting an OWWA Appointment via the OWWA Mobile App
If you need to learn how to set an appointment using your OWWA Mobile App, then this is what you do:
- Install the Mobile Application on your mobile phones. (Google PlayStore for Android Users or App Store for Apple Users)
- Open your OWWA Mobile App, and you will see the tab for E-Services. Click that tab.
- After opening the E-Services tab, you will see a tab for Program Offers.
- Click the Overseas Filipino Workers – Enterprise Development.
- Click the Inquire button.
- Select your respective region.
- After confirming your selected region, an alert will appear, notifying you that an email for your copy was sent to you.
- Check your email account, and from there on, wait for the instructions you will follow.
- You can also email back to ask when and what time you can go to your OWWA RWO.
6. Is the cash assistance from the Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! (BPBH) Livelihood Assistance Program a loan? How soon would I need to pay it back?
No. It is not a loan. It is a one-time livelihood assistance given by OWWA to repatriated distressed OFWs as support in helping them reintegrate back home. Note that because this is not a loan, there is no need to pay them back to OWWA.
Summary
Sure, this is not the only OWWA program that offers livelihood assistance to repatriated or distressed OFWs. It’s not even the only OWWA program that offers cash aid. However, it is a great program that not only helps and reinserts an OFW to the society. Along with the cash assistance that they can use to start or expand their business, the BPBH program also helps them build skills that they can use to successfully manage the business.
Plus, it is available both to active and inactive OWWA members, provided that they meet the qualifications and provide the basic documentary requirements that the program needs. At the very least, the OFW gets basic training on business management and entrepreneurial development, relevant certificates, and enough capital to start living normally again back in their hometowns.