In the bustling cities of Hong Kong and Macau, where over 160,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) toil with quiet grit and unwavering dedication, a different kind of opportunity recently took center stage—not a job offer, not a remittance booth, but an invitation to come home with purpose.
Through the Usapang Agribiz forum held on June 28 and 29, the Department of Agriculture (DA) extended a hand not just in gratitude, but in partnership, asking our kababayans to look beyond the day’s wage and imagine a future where they are not just breadwinners, but business owners—agripreneurs cultivating the soil of their own homeland.
Organized by the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), in collaboration with the Office of the Agriculture Counsellor to China and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the forum brought together 214 OFWs—87 in Macau and 127 in Hong Kong—who came away with more than brochures and contacts; they left with a vision.
“Your hard work, remittances, and resilience keep our economy afloat. And now, by exploring agribusiness, you are taking the next bold step—not only in securing your future, but in ensuring food and nutrition security, rural development, and economic sustainability for our country,” said DA Assistant Secretary Atty. Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra in her keynote message.
The initiative is part of the Marcos administration’s push to recognize OFWs not just as modern-day heroes abroad, but as future leaders of rural transformation at home. With reintegration support and a warm welcome from various government agencies, the path to farming and food entrepreneurship is now more navigable than ever.
Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime A. FlorCruz added a resonant message: “Mahalaga na tayo ay kumikita, mahalaga na tayo ay nag-iipon, pero ang pinakamahalaga ay mapalago ang ating iniipon. Bakit mag-agribusiness? Ang Pilipinas ay isa pa ring agricultural na bansa (It is important that we earn, it is important that we save, but the most important is to grow our savings. Why agribusiness? The Philippines is still an agricultural country).”
Real-life success stories underscored the forum’s message. Cecilia Corpus, a former OFW turned proud owner of RP Corpus Sales Enterprise in Central Luzon, and Rebecca Tubongbanua, founder of McNester Food Products in Western Visayas, shared how their overseas earnings were transformed into thriving agribusinesses—thanks to government programs on processing, marketing, and product development.
DA officials also provided a deep dive into investment-ready agricultural sectors—from poultry and livestock to high-value crops like fruits and vegetables. Experts from the Bureau of Animal Industry, High Value Crops Development Program, and Agricultural Training Institute outlined programs for skills training, technical assistance, and capacity-building.
To help de-risk their venture, agencies like the Agricultural Credit Policy Council and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation introduced financing schemes and insurance options tailored to agripreneurs.
Beyond the presentations and consultations, Usapang Agribiz marked a turning point—a call for OFWs to plant money and meaning into Philippine soil.
With mentoring, financing, and market access on offer, the DA hopes to transform homecomings into harvests, remittances into reinvestments, and sacrifices into sustainable livelihoods.
For many OFWs in Hong Kong and Macau, the dream is no longer just to send money home—but to finally go home, and build something that grows.
