Business summit for OFWs

CEBU, Philippines - The Villar Foundation in partnership with Let’s Negosyo invites Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families to the “2nd OFW and Family Summit 2012” on  November 22, 2012 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City, Manila.

Former Las Pinas Representative Cynthia Villar said that last year, more than 5,000 OFWs and their families joined the event and she expects the number of participants to go higher this year.

“During this summit, they will be taught how to engage in small business para makatulong ang mga pamilya na nandito kung papaano palalaguin ang kanilang kinikita,” said Villar, one of the guests in yesterday’s opening of Cebu Provincial Sports and Cultural Festival in the town of Asturias.

Villar, managing director of the Villar Foundation, said that there will be  raffle draws during the event which makes prior registration important. The registration, which is for free, is now available on-line so that more of those who are interested can join.

A house and lot package awaits lucky winners in the raffle draw, including a sari-sari store package, tricycle package and distributorship package, among others..

The said summit seeks to empower OFWs by teaching them the  basics in improving their lives  through entrepreneurship.

Villar said that she and her husband,  Senator Manuel Villar, have a very strong passion in helping the OFWs because it was a wife of an OFW, a seaman,  who first bought a house that her husband built.

“Kung wala ang pamilya ng OFW na yon, walang Camella Homes ngayon. Kaya malapit ang puso namin sa mga OFWs,” said the former congresswoman. (If it was not for that family, there wouldn’t be any Camella Homes today.)

She added that through their foundation, ten OFWs from Saudi Arabia will be repatriated today. Most of these OFWs came from Mindanao.

For the 22 years of the foundation’s existence, she said that they have already helped thousands of OFWs being repatriated who were mostly victims of abuses abroad.

With the success of  the first summit, the former congresswoman dreams that one day Filipinos will learn to take advantage of the opportunities here through entrepreneurship so they would not  have to go abroad to earn for their families.

The Villar Foundation “believes in the courage, heroism and hard work of overseas Filipino workers and is committed to help, protect and serve them and their families wherever they are.”  —/JPM (FREEMAN)