Over the weekend, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos made a very special visit to a place called Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This place is like a temporary home for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are waiting to go back home to the Philippines.
🌟 This is a big deal because she’s the first-ever First Lady of the Philippines to visit Bahay Kalinga! Everyone there felt special and excited to meet her.
💬 While there, Ma’am Liza met with OFWs who are tired, sad, sick, or just missing home, including mothers and children. She sat down with them, listened to their stories, gave them words of comfort, and brought a powerful message:
👉 “You’re going home soon.”
🛫 Thanks to instructions from President Bongbong Marcos, several government agencies worked together to make it happen. They are:
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DMW (Department of Migrant Workers)
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OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration)
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DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development)
👨👩👧👦 Together, they helped bring home 43 OFWs and 8 kids, some of whom were sick and needed special care. Each person got:
💰 ₱50,000 from DMW
💰 ₱10,000 + livelihood aid from OWWA
💰 ₱10,000 from DSWD
💰 ₱60,000 from the Office of the President
🎁 Travel luggage and essentials from First Lady Liza herself!
🚐 Those heading back to Visayas and Mindanao also got help with transportation and hotel stays to make their journey safe and comfy.
🛍️ After visiting Bahay Kalinga, the First Lady didn’t stop there! She also visited the “Bagong Bayani ng Mundo Serbisyo Caravan” — a special government caravan made just for OFWs in Saudi.
💼 For the first time ever, so many government agencies teamed up in one big event to bring services closer to OFWs — including:
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DMW
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OWWA
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PhilHealth
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SSS
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Pag-IBIG
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DTI
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Landbank
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DSWD
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PAO
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PSA
🤝 They helped Filipinos abroad with documents, benefits, business tips, and more—right where they are, far from home.
💖 The whole visit showed that no matter how far OFWs are, the government is finding ways to bring care, comfort, and help right to their doorsteps—and to help them come home safely, with dignity and hope.
🇵🇭💪 Truly, our OFWs are modern-day heroes, and this visit proved they’re never forgotten.
