MANILA — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) is placing diaspora engagement at the forefront of its programs, aiming to deepen partnerships with more than 10 million Filipinos living and working abroad.
CFO Secretary Dante Francis Ang II emphasized that overseas Filipinos are not just economic contributors but essential partners in nation-building. “Successful Filipinos abroad are more inclined to help Filipinos locally,” Ang said during a media forum Monday. He added that migration allows Filipinos to “earn a higher return on their educational capital and contribute to the country once they have become successful.”
Among the agency’s key initiatives is BaLinkBayan, which provides overseas Filipinos with access to online government services, investment and entrepreneurship opportunities, volunteer programs, skills and technology transfer, and migration and development mainstreaming.
The LINKAPIL program, which includes the Balikturo initiative, brings Filipino teachers based in the United States back home to teach during visits. The CFO is also expanding partnerships with the Department of Science and Technology through the Balik Scientist Program.
Other efforts focus on financial literacy, diaspora philanthropy, return and reintegration programs, and hometown development investments. The Diaspora to Development (D2D) program, a priority initiative, connects global Filipinos with grassroots projects across the country.
To reach second- and third-generation migrants seeking to reconnect with their roots, the CFO is updating its digital platforms and enhancing collaboration with Filipino associations abroad. The agency said these steps are part of its mission to “modernize diaspora engagement” and align initiatives with the administration’s broader development agenda.
Ang highlighted that the renewed approach underscores not only the economic impact of the diaspora, such as remittances, but also their growing influence in diplomacy, global networks, innovation, arts, culture, and community leadership.
The CFO plans to continue consulting overseas Filipino communities as it rolls out new programs, aiming to turn sustained engagement with global Filipinos into “a strategic national asset.”
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
