Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte vowed to continue to improve the initiatives of the local government for migrant workers from the city and their families during International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General Gilbert Houngbo’s visit at the Quezon City Hall on Tuesday, June 27.  In her speech during the “Migrant Workers Interaction” event attended by Houngbo, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and their relatives, the mayor said that the concerns, issues, and situations of over 181,000 migrant workers in the city were given importance by the local government.  “While there have been several migration initiatives in the past, it was only in 2016 that the local migration governance took shape in the city’s development,”Belmonte  said. International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General Gilbert Houngbo and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte during a program for migrant workers and their families held at the Quezon City Hall on Tuesday, June 27. (Photo by Mark Balmores/ MANILA BULLETIN)
She presented to the ILO some of the city’s programs including the Migrants Resource Center (MRC) that operates under the Public Employment Services Office (PESO), which serves as a one-stop-shop for the OFWs in the city to get assistance for heir employment abroad and in ensuring the welfare of their children and families who were left the country. Established through the partnership of the local government and ILO in 2022, MRC caters all types of migrants (including permanent, temporary, and undocumented workers), and provides assessment and referral services, local employment facilitation, psycho-social first aid, other assistance to the Filipino workers abroad.  MRC also provides legal aid services, livelihood skills training, and seminars to OFWs who returned to the city, as well as their families. It was created through City Ordinance SP 2500, passed by Belmonte during her term as the city’s vice-mayor in 2016. The city government launched the “E-Habilin” online registration portal in March 2023, that aims to  provides support and protection to the children left behind by the migrant workers. Belmonte also shared that they also have different initiatives for the OFWs in different communities such as skills training programs and the online “kumustahan” or catch-up session which allows them to connect with the migrant workers.  Urban farms managed by OFWs were also established in different barangays in the city to provide them with assistance for their livelihoods, according to the city government.  “With our continues partnership with ILO and other stakeholders, we can further expand our services and reach more migrant workers and their families. We express our sincere gratitude to the ILO as these achievements will not have been possible without your help and support,” the mayor said.  During the event, some of the former OFWs and their families raised various concerns and suggestions to the local government to improve health care, livelihood, and welfare services. Houngbou also expressed continuous support to the city government’s initiatives for the improvement of the lives of the OFWs and their families. Also present during the event were ILO Country Director Khalid Hassan, ILO Senior Technical Officer Hitomi Nakagami, ILO Senior Program Officer Ma. Concepcion Sardana, PESO Manager Rogelio Reyes, city government officials and employees. The ILO partners with local and national governments, workers and employers  in different countries  to set labour standards, develop policies and device programmes promoting. decent work for men and women (according to [www.ilo.org](http://www.ilo.org)).