Entrepreneurship seen as key to OFW integration

The country's best hope is successfully reintegrating the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) into the mainstream society is through entrepreneurship.

This is the assessment of OFW Net Foundation, a non-government organization formed by more than 1,000 migrant Filipino leaders worldwide for that self-help reintegration program.

OFWNet said many returning OFWs had difficulty finding local jobs. While very few did, the payscale would often be a lot smaller than what they used to receive abroad and hardly enough to raise or support their families, who had unfortunately become dependent on monthly remittances.

Thus, OFWNet has been advising migrant Filipinos and their families to save for their own future businesses in the Philippines and prepare for their ultimate role as entrepreneurs.

That is the purpose of the OFW Conference and Trade Exhibit that the OFWNet will stage at the SM Megatrade in Mandaluyong City on May 23-25.

The conference will address the socio-economic gap faced by OFWs and their families by teaching, training and introducing them to entrepreneurial skills and business ventures that can make them self-sufficient and financially independent.

Conference sessions are focused on How to StaRt Your Business, Marketing Your Business, Project and Business Financing, Do's and Dont's of Investments, Simple Budgeting, and Accounting.

There will also be discussions on Sources of Funds for SMEs by some financial institutions, Business Opportunities for SMEs, Entrepreneurship Seminar for OFWs, and business presentations on Franchising, Retail Trade, Stocks and Equities investments, Insurance, Pre-Need Plans, Real Estate, Food Processing, IT Education, and Handicraft.

Likewise, the conference will discuss the significant contributions of OFWs to the country and how various government agencies can help them.

On the other hand, the trade exhibition will present various business and investment opportunities for OFWs, including business matching activities between them and the exhibitors.

Corporate exhibitors include the Insular Life Assurance Company, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Philamlife, Philippine Daily Inquirer, INQ7.net, Manila Times, OP-TV, Global Digital Campus, Mobile Car Wash, Nacho King, Wellhomes Ventures & Dev. Corp., Robinsons Homes Inc., Globe Asiatique &Filmal Realty, TLRC, Global 9 Inc., Aqua 2000 Water Tech, Reyes Haircutters. Quadrillon Realty, Omni-Orient Marketing Sales, Norkis Trading, BF Citiland Corp.

St. Luke’s Medical Center, Megaworld International, Filinvest Alabang Inc., Kiss King of Balls Inc., Suzuki Philippines Inc., Aboitiz Express, Business Box, C & P Properties Inc., JSI Research & Training Institute, LPHI Exclusive Brokers, Maple Lang Homes, Western Union Money Transfer, Dotenable.com Inc., Pizzito,OFW Virtual Mall, and many more.

For more details, please call 896-0639, 896-0637, 899-6893; email [email protected]; and visit http://www.fmi.com.ph.