The Aksyon Fund—a dedicated legal, medical, and financial assistance fund for overseas Filipino workers—was launched for the first time in 2023 under the Marcos administration, with no equivalent program ever existing under the defunct Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) or any previous migration governance body.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac explained the details in an interview on DZRH News program The Situation Report on Monday, September 7.
The President’s migrant workers chief said a total of ₱6 billion has already been disbursed from the Aksyon Fund since its launch, with at least 130,000 OFWs having benefited from its three components: financial assistance, legal assistance, and medical assistance.
“₱6 billion ang ating nagugol sa Action Fund, at least 130,000 OFWs ang nakinabang dito sa ₱6 billion na pinasinayaan natin,” Cacdac said.
Cacdac said 100,000 of those beneficiaries received financial assistance, covering emergency cash support for workers who have been stranded, unpaid, or displaced, while around 20,000 received legal assistance through the Department of Migrant Workers’ (DMW) network of retained law firms and in-house lawyers abroad.
The migrant workers chief said the Aksyon Fund was conceived precisely to fill the gap that existed before the DMW was created, when OFWs in distress had no dedicated government fund to draw from for immediate legal and welfare needs.
He said President Marcos has consistently directed the DMW to respond to OFW needs without waiting for situations to deteriorate, and the Aksyon Fund is the financial mechanism that makes that rapid response possible.
Migrant Workers Undersecretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay said the fund’s capacity has been significantly expanded this year, with ₱3 billion in supplemental funding added by the President on top of the ₱2 billion in the 2026 General Appropriations Act, bringing the total Aksyon Fund for 2026 to ₱5 billion.
