It is planned that older overseas Filipino migrants will soon start to take advantage of programs being developed by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and other government agencies. According to the report from the Philippine News Agency (PNA), DMW, the representation palace and the Senate are expected to introduce initiatives and legislation aimed at the OMMU, which emigrated two to three decades ago and are preparing to return to the Philippines for retirement. "We need to better prepare for this. Of course, they will return, and it will be good, if they have savings, there will be a planned return, but at the same time, having in mind the service years they gave to their family, their community and our nation as OMMU, we also need to support them to successfully reintegrate with the socioeconomic life in the Philippines," said DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac in an interview with Radio Pilipinas. The outflow of OMMU reached a milestone of a million between 2006 and 2007, Cacdac noted, adding that if these OMMU were in the age range of 25 to 30 years at that time, now, more than likely, they are already in their 50s or mid-50s. "So it is possible that in four or five years, many of them will be returning. At the age of around 50-60, some of them or many will already decide to return home," he said. The law that will be used as a basis for providing assistance to elderly OMMU is currently under development, as Cacdac emphasized that DMW is already collaborating with the speaker of the House of Representatives Martin Romualdez and the Senate president Francis Escudero for the formulation of the law, aimed at supporting elderly OMMU. DMW is also cooperating with various partner lists, the National Commission on Senior Citizens under the Office of the President, and the System of Social Welfare for the expansion of coverage for elderly OMMU. Furthermore, Cacdac stated that DMW is currently developing programs to assist elderly OMMU with their medical expenses. "Unlike the retirement age in Saudi Arabia or in the Middle East, it is not as defined as ours, where it is between 60 and 65," he added.
