DEPARTMENT OF MIGRANT WORKERS: FOUR YEARS OF STANDING WITH OFWS

DMW marks the milestone with tribute, tradition, and protection

- By KATHERINE L. MAGSANOC

As it marks its fourth anniversary today, December 30, 2025, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is set to reaffirm its role as the government's central pillar for the protection, welfare, and empowerment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) — a role that has steadily taken shape since the department's creation in 2022.

According to DMW Director Jun Aguilar, this year’s anniversary carries special meaning for the migrant sector.

“On our fourth anniversary, President Bongbong Marcos will confer the Order of Lakandula with a Rank of Bayani to our late Secretary Maria Susana ‘Toots’ V. Ople,” Aguilar tells The Philippine STAR.

The posthumous conferment will honor the late Maria Susana “Toots” V. Ople, the DMW ‘first secretary and a lifelong advocate for migrant workers’ rights. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to bestow the award in recognition of Ople’s enduring contribution to labor reform and migrant protection.

Aguilar says the ceremony will be witnessed by a broad cross-section of the migrant community.