What is the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO)?

The National Reintegration Center for OFWs or NRCO is an agency created by the Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). This was set up in order to help overseas Filipino workers to have long-term goals of having a livelihood project when they go back home to the Philippines and be ‘reintegrated’ into society. After all, OFWs will not stay working abroad forever, so it is important that they have something to look forward to when they finally decide to go home for good.

Also Read: How to Become an OWWA Member?

In this article, we share information about NRCO and it’s programs, how you can benefit from the programs and what are the requirements for you to apply for these NRCO projects. Please be guided accordingly.

Republic Act 10022 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations established the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), an agency of the Department of Labor and Employment.

The NRCO’s mission is to empower OFWs and their families to work and live with an entrepreneurial mindset, primarily by raising awareness about the importance of saving and equipping them to plan for investment, business, or local employment upon their return, while also responding to the reintegration needs of displaced OFWs and OFWs in distress.

Business and Livelihood Projects by the National Reintegration Center for OFW’s

The National Reintegration Program Center facilitates OFWs’ reintegration into Philippine society, acts as a recruitment office for local jobs, and taps their abilities and potentials for national development.

It is formerly known as the OFW-Reintegration Program (ORP), it is an OWWA enterprise development intervention and loan facility, developed in collaboration with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), to help OFWs and their families create businesses.

Counseling, job search support, enterprise growth, skills training and competence upgrading, and assistance to distressed OFWs are among the NRCO’s various programs.

Purpose of NRCO

The mission of NRCO is to empower OFWs and their families to work and live with an entrepreneurial mindset, primarily by raising awareness about the importance of saving and equipping them to plan for investment, business, or local employment upon their return, as well as responding to the reintegration needs of displaced and distressed OFWs.

List of NRCO Programs

NRCO has a few programs that they handle for the OFWs. These projects are meant to help overseas Pinoy workers get back on their feet after they have made a decision to not work abroad anymore. The programs under NRCO are as follows:

1. Balik Pinay! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program

In 2011, a program was established to assist female OFW returnees in starting and operating self-employment ventures which is called Balik Pinay! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program. The program includes a livelihood skills training session as well as the delivery of beginning kits. The Program was expanded to include women OFWs in the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Resource Centers (MWOFRC) in POLOs in 2013 by Administrative Order 333. Over 4,000 participants have benefited from the program over the last four years, with many of them starting their own businesses or employing their newly acquired talents.

There will be a package of livelihood support/assistance aimed at providing immediate aid to returning member-OFWs (distressed/displaced) up to Php 20,000.00 as start-up or supplementary funding for the livelihood enterprise.

Who is Eligible?

Returning women OFWs are eligible for the program, with priority given to women OFWs who have been displaced by hostilities and conflicts in their home country, or who have been victims of unlawful recruiting and trafficking, as well as other distressed and displaced women domestic service workers.

What are the Requirements?

1. Application Form (with Undertaking that the cash assistance will be used solely for self-employment or for starting or expansion of livelihood project or business).
2. Entrepreneurial Development Training Certificate

• Financial Literacy;
• Entrepreneurial Development Training; and
• Livelihood Skills Training

3. The RWO Director has approved a business plan/proposal reflecting the sustainability/feasibility of the chosen livelihood enterprise.

4. Repatriation or return to the Philippines documentation

• Passport
• Travel documents
• Airline ticket

Procedural Guidance

• Qualified Balik Pinay! availees should submit their requests to the DOLE Regional Office closest to their intended business site.
• Based on the training they received, the recipients will receive a commercial enterprise start-up kit.
• All BPBH participants must complete skills training in the field of their choice in order to be prepared to start a small business.

3. Livelihood Development Assistance Program (LDAP)

The Livelihood Development Assistance Program (LDAP), formerly known as the 10K Livelihood Assistance Program, was revamped in 2014 to cater to undocumented OFWs. The Program was established in 2011 by Administrative Order No. 77 Series of 2011, with the goal of providing funds to returning OFWs for livelihood aid. Between 2011 and 2014, LDAP served over 15,000 people through livelihood initiatives such as sari-sari stores, beauty parlors, rice trade, machine shops, and furniture manufacturing.

The recipients will get a P10,000 business enterprise start-up kit, which will include the materials for their planned firm.

Who is Eligible?

• Any undocumented OFW who has returned to the Philippines is eligible for this program.
• Those who obtained their passports through fraud or misrepresentation; those who have expired visas or permits to stay; those who have no travel documents at all; those who have valid but inappropriate visas; or those who have employment contracts that were not processed by the POEA or later verified and registered on-site by POLO, if required by law or regulation.

What are the Requirements?

1. LDAP Request Form
2. Passport copy
3. Philippine Arrival Stamp (in your passport)
4. Boarding Pass/Airline Ticket (Latest arrival in the country)
5. Employment Contract/Work Contract/Other Proof of Employment
6. Proof of Loss of Employment (Certificate from Employer)
7. Endorsement from Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Lieu of Certificate of Loss of Employment from Employer

Procedural Guidance

• Qualified availees should submit their requests to the DOLE Regional Office closest to their intended business site.
• To prepare for operating a small business, all LDAP participants must complete the Small Business Management Training and Financial Awareness Seminar.

3. Sa ‘Pinas, Ikaw Ang Ma’am at Sir! Program / Assist WELL

Assist WELL stands for Welfare, Employment, Livelihood and Legal Assistance.It is originally designed to repatriate OFWs from crisis/emergency situations in accordance with relevant alert level systems, the program has since been expanded to reclaim Filipino workers abroad and reverse outmigration by improving their skills and allowing them to stay in the Philippines to work for better-paying jobs or start a profitable business.

The “Sa Pinas, Ikaw, ang Ma’am at Sir” project intends to retrain HSWs on the skills set required for the Teacher 1 position in the Department of Education, so that they can be hired in their hometowns and move away from domestic employment. Apart from teaching posts with the Department of Education, these returning OFWs may choose from a variety of non-teaching and other occupations available in the Philippine labor market, both in the public and private sectors.

Who is Eligible?

• OFW LET Passers
• With teaching experience within the last (5) five years.
• With teaching experience beyond (5) five years
• Without teaching experience (need to undergo refresher course)
• OFW who arrived home for not more than (3) three years based on the current year.

What is Online Refresher Course?

• It’s a flexible, self-paced curriculum that focuses on relearning numerous core competencies in certain specializations to the greatest extent possible. It assists education degree holders in staying current with the demands of modern educational practice.
• Its intention is to maintain inactive teachers and certified professional instructors in non-teaching roles overseas up to date and improve their pedagogic abilities and knowledge.

What are the Requirements?

1. Accomplished Application Form
2. Passport copy
3. Philippine Arrival Stamp (in your passport)
4. Boarding Pass/Airline Ticket (Latest arrival in the country)
5. Employment Contract/Work Contract/Other Proof of Employment

How and Where to Apply?

1. Fill out the online application form at https://nrco.fole.gov.ph/index.php/spims.
2. If the applicant is already in the Philippines, go to the nearest DOLE Regional Office, or if they are still abroad, go to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
3. Contact the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), ground floor, Blas Ople Development Center, Solana and Victoria Sts. Intramurous, Manila, at spims.updates@gmail.com or wrtsd.nrco@gmail.com, or call (02) 527-6184 or 526-2392.
4. You can also go to www.facebook.com/dole.nrco and join the NRCO Facebook page.

Procedural Guidance

• For the conduct of the refresher course, DOLE-NRCO will endorse to PNU a list of identified ODW-LET Passers.
• PNU will send an email to the OFW. To gain access to the online platform, OFWs will be provided an Enrollment Key.

4. Women Reintegrated and Economically Active At Home Program (Women REACH)

The Women REACH (WR) Program was established in order to provide a stronger framework for our returning female OFWs to cope and begin their reintegration into the country. “DOLE and Coca-Cola Philippines agreed to put in place enabling measures that might potentially enable women OFWs explore possible economic prospects when they return home,” according to the press release.

The Coke global initiative to economically empower 5 million women by 2020 is aligned with the Women REACH program (5by20). The OWWA NRCO collaborated closely with Coca-Cola Phils in the development of standardized entrepreneurship modules because it focused on economic reintegration.

Coca-Cola Phils will collaborate with DOLE on a full entrepreneurship training and learning course, including its Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and Impact Measurement Tools, as well as assist in the development of a pool of educators. DOLE will then popularize the modules.

Who is Eligible?

• Woman OFW’s who returned home
• Distressed woman OFW’s

What are the Requirements?

1. Accomplished Application Form
2. Passport copy
3. Philippine Arrival Stamp (in your passport)
4. Boarding Pass/Airline Ticket (Latest arrival in the country)
5. Employment Contract/Work Contract/Other Proof of Employment

Procedural Guidance

• The Women REACH Module 1 focuses on empowerment.
• Module 2 dealt with personal finance.
• Module 3 focused on company concept generation and startup.

NRCO Programs and Services

The Department of Labor’s Reintegration Services is a set of interventions and processes designed and executed by social partners to help OFWs return to their families and communities after completing their abroad job.

It gives OFWs and their family’s access to programs and services that will assist them to reduce the social cost of migration and lessen the impact of forced repatriation due to unforeseen circumstances. It also aims to maximize the benefits of abroad work by facilitating local employment and re-employment, as well as company and enterprise development.

1. Psycho-social

Psycho-social component, which includes services such as:

• Psycho-social counseling
• Stress debriefing
• Values formation
• Financial literacy
• Capacity-building through aid in community organizing and maintaining OFW Family Circles (OFCs)

2. Livelihood Component

1. Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay Program

It is a non-cash livelihood support/assistance program designed to provide immediate relief to returning member OFWs, active or non-active, who have been displaced from their jobs due to war/political conflicts in host countries, policy reforms, controls, and changes by the host government, or who have been victims of illegal recruitment and/or human trafficking, or other distressful situations.

They should receive an amount of their choice, up to PhP 20,000, as start-up or supplementary funding for a livelihood project of their choice within the program.

What are the Requirements?

1. Application Form (with Undertaking that the cash assistance will be used solely for self-employment or for starting or expansion of livelihood project or business).
2. Entrepreneurial Development Training Certificate
   • Financial Literacy;
   • Entrepreneurial Development Training; and
   • Livelihood Skills Training
3. The RWO Director has approved a business plan/proposal reflecting the sustainability/feasibility of the chosen livelihood enterprise.
4. Repatriation or return to the Philippines documentation

• Passport
• Travel documents
  • Airline ticket

2. Financial Awareness Seminar (FAS) and Small Business Management Training (SBMT)

This training aimed at assisting OFWs and their family with financial literacy in relation to their overseas work and encouraging them to start their own small business.

3. Education and Livelihood Assistance Program (ELAP)

ELAP is a scholarship for dependents of OFWs who were active OWWA members at the time of death. A scholarship stipend is provided to only one child, usually the eldest child of an OFW member (P5,000 for elementary, P8,000 for high school, and P10,000 for college).  If the OFW member was married, the surviving spouse would receive P15,000.00, and if the OFW was single, the mother/father will receive P15,000.00.

What are the Requirements?

1. Application Form (2 copies)
2. 2×2 Recent and Identical Photos (2 copies)
3. Death certificate or another record of a similar nature (to the deceased OFW)
4. Official transmission from the embassy or consulate
5. Proof of relationship to an OWWA member. Any of the following:

• Birth Certificate (issued by PSA) of applicant, if child of OFW (ORIGINAL)
• Birth Certificate (issued by PSA) of both applicant & OFW, if OFW’s brother/sister
• Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR of OFW) from PSA (proof of unmarried)

6. Receipt of proof of enrollment

Any of the following:

• Enrollment Assessment Form (EAF)
• Certificate of Registration (COR)
• Certificate of Enrollment (COE

7. Enrollment document (Electronic Format)

Any of the following:

• Evaluation Form
• Admission Test Score

8. Proof of OWWA Any of the following:

• Official Receipt of OWWA Contribution
• OFW Verification Sheet issued by MPC

9. Health Certificate
10. Certificate of good moral character issued by the principal/guidance counselor
11. Certification that applicant belongs to the upper 20% of the Elementary and High School Graduating Class and that he has a GWA average of above 80% in his Elementary and High School report card.
12. Applicant’s Certificate of not having taken post secondary or undergraduate/ college units and not a Recipient of any scholarship grant / has not taken the EDSP Qualifying Examination.
13. Sworn Statement that he/she has no pending application for resident immigrant status in any country and does not have dual citizenship signed by parent or legal guardians.
14. Copy of the Scholarship Agreement in its original form

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about the NRCO prgoram.

1. What is National Reintegrated Program Center for OFW’s?

It is a set of services and mechanisms put in place by the government and its social partners to make it easier for Filipino employees to return to the Philippines after completing their overseas assignments.

2. What are the Programs and Services of NRCO?

Name of the Program/ Services	Program Description	OFW Coverage
Balik Pinay! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program	There will be a package of livelihood support/assistance aimed at providing immediate aid to returning member-OFWs (distressed/displaced) up to Php 20,000.00 as start-up or supplementary funding for the livelihood enterprise.	Returning women OFWs
Livelihood Development Assistance Program (LDAP)	The recipients will get a P10,000 business enterprise start-up kit, which will include the materials for their planned firm.	Any undocumented OFW who has returned to the Philippines
Sa ‘Pinas, Ikaw Ang Ma’am/Sir! Program/ Assist WELL	The “Sa Pinas, Ikaw, and Ma’am/Sir” project intends to retrain HSWs on the skills set required for the Teacher 1 position in the Department of Education, so that they can be hired in their hometowns and move away from domestic employment. Apart from teaching posts with the Department of Education, these returning OFWs may choose from a variety of non-teaching and other occupations available in the Philippine labor market, both in the public and private sectors.	OFW LET Passers OFW who arrived home for not more than (3) three years based on the current year.
Women Reintegrated and Economically Active At Home Program (Women Reach)	The OWWA NRCO collaborated closely with Coca-Cola Phils in the development of standardized entrepreneurship modules because it focused on economic reintegration. Coca-Cola Phils will collaborate with DOLE on a full entrepreneurship training and learning course, including its Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and Impact Measurement Tools, as well as assist in the development of a pool of educators. DOLE will then popularize the modules.	Woman OFW’s who returned home Distressed woman OFW’s
Psycho-social	Psycho-social component, which includes services such as Psycho-social counseling, Stress debriefing, Values formation, Financial literacy, Capacity-building through aid in community organizing and maintaining OFW Family Circles (OFCs)	OFW returnee
Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay Program	It is a non-cash livelihood support/assistance program designed to provide immediate relief to returning member OFWs, active or non-active, who have been displaced from their jobs. They should receive an amount of their choice, up to PhP 20,000, as start-up or supplementary funding for a livelihood project of their choice within the program.	Active or non-active distressed and displaced OFW.
Financial Awareness Seminar (FAS) and Small Business Management Training (SBMT)	This training aimed at assisting OFWs and their family with financial literacy in relation to their overseas work and encouraging them to start their own small business.	OFW returnee
Education and Livelihood Assistance Program (ELAP)	It is a scholarship for dependents of OFWs who were active OWWA members at the time of death. A scholarship stipend is provided to only one child, usually the eldest child of an OFW member (P5,000 for elementary, P8,000 for high school and P10,000 for college).  If the OFW member was married, the surviving spouse would receive P15,000.00, and if the OFW was single, the mother/father will receive P15,000.00.	Dependents of active OWWA members at the time of death.

 

3. Is it possible for more than one OFW returnee from the same family to apply for the program?

Only one household member is eligible to apply for the program.

4. Is it possible for a previous LDAP, BPBH, and other program recipient to apply again?

No, each beneficiary can only participate in the program once.

5. Is it possible for an LDAP recipient to apply for BPBH or other program/services at the same time, or vice versa?

LDAP recipients are no longer eligible to apply to BPBH, and vice versa.

Videos: NRCO Program for OFWs

If you want to learn more, check out these videos about NRCO so you can get an idea what the NRCO-DOLE program is for and what you can get as an OFW out of it.

Contact Information

NRCO
Address: Ground Floor Blas F. Ople Development Center (Old OWWA Building), Corner Solana and Victoria Streets, Intramuros, Manila
Email: nrcoreintegration@gmail.com
Website: http://nrco.dole.gov.ph/index.php
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NRCOCentral/

Office of the Director
Name: Roel B. Martin -OIC, Director
el. No.: 527-6184 526-2633 (Telefax); 526-2392
Email: nrcoreintegration@gmail.com

Policy Program Development Division (PPDD)
Name: Melvin D. Caseda – Division Chief
Tel. No.: 527-6184 526-2633 (Telefax) ; 526-2392
Email: pdpmd.nrco@gmail.com

Program Coordination And Monitoring Division (PCMD)
Name: Elizabeth C. Zambarrano – OIC, Division Chief
Tel. No.: 527-6184 526-2633 (Telefax) ; 526-2392
Email: pcmd.nrco@gmail.com

Workers Reintegration Technical Support Division (WRTSD)

Name: Geronico M. Herrera – OIC, Division Chief
Tel. No.: 527-6184 526-2633 (Telefax) ; 526-2392
Email: wrtsd.nrco@gmail.com