The Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Bayanihan Council Abu Dhabi, organized a workshop focused on making sushi as part of the skills training program of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Over 30 individuals took part in the half-a-day session led by Abu Dhabi-based Chef Francis Danganan, where attendees learned how to make four different kinds of sushi from scratch.
Labor Attache Atty. Manuel Dimaano highlighted that this forms part of the reintegration program of the Philippines, which aims to equip OFWs with the necessary skills they need before they decide to go home for good.
“We all know for a fact that working outside the country is really a big challenge from a logistical, cultural, and environmental standpoint, especially for first-timers. Not to mention the lack of job security due to economic uncertainty. This is where the reintegration program of the PH gov’t comes into play, with the aim to maximize the gains of overseas employment through local employment / re-employment or business enterprise development facilitation,” said Atty. Dimaano in a message conveyed by Assistant Labor Attache Lily Pearl Guerrero during the event.
He added that this will also help give OFWs ideas as to how they can potentially launch their business back in the Philippines, through the help of OWWA’s assistance programs as well: “It provides the OFWs with the opportunities for accessing projects and services that would help them mitigate the social cost of migration and cushion the impact of forced repatriation due to unexpected events.”
In attendance during the event were OWWA Welfare Officer Julia Fabian who spearheaded the event, together with Bayanihan Council Chairman, Engr. Renante Abellanosa, alongside POLO-OWWA staff, and Bayanihan Council members.
Speaking to The Filipino Times, Fabian said that more training will be available in the coming months and encouraged OFWs to renew their OWWA membership so that they could gain access to loan programs to launch businesses in the Philippines as well as other social benefits that would help OFWs in the long run.
“Magkakaroon pa kami sa POLO-OWWA ng mga karagadagang training para sa ating mga kababayan dito sa Abu Dhabi kaya sana po ay mas dumami pa ang maka-attend. Mainam din po na mag-update ang ating mga kababayan ng kanilang OWWA membership para matulungan din namin sila sa pamamagitan ng mga loan programs tulad ng Balik Pinas! Balik Hanapbuhay! Program, o ng Tulong – PUSO program namin,” said Fabian.
