Thirty-four overseas Filipino workers’ families will be recognised this coming November 26 during the 2009 OFW Model Families of the Year Award (MOFYA).
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Carmelita Dimzon announced that the model families were chosen for their exemplary efforts in maintaining parent-child relationships intact even though one or two parents are working outside of the country for an extended period of time. {{more}}
The thirty-four families were chosen after a series of screening and interviews by a panel of judges. Each family comes from different regions in the country.
The binding characteristics of each of the OFW families to be honoured, according to Dimzon, are the families’ extraordinary and regular efforts in guiding behaviours, affirming love and building trust within all members of the family even when one or both parents are distant from the family due to their employment locations abroad.
Among these regional model OFW families will also be chosen the national winners, one each for the sea-based and land-based categories. Department of Labour and Employment secretary Marianito Roque will announce the two winners.
There will also be special awards for outstanding achievements in community projects and entrepreneurship.
The criteria for awarding are wholesomeness of the family, civic or community involvement of the OFW and family, success in OFW and/or family members’ education or profession, and success in managing family finances.
MOFYA started in 2007, during the term of Roque as OWWA administrator, as an award-giving program designed to give recognition to outstanding OFW families and promote best practices in achieving optimal success in all aspects of life in the face of overseas migration of one or more members of the household.
It aims to recognise the outstanding achievements of the OFWs and their families, to promote success stories of OFWs’ families over the challenges on their family relations, to uplift the image of the OFW family in the community, and to highlight the role of the OFW family acting as a group in the attainment of socio-civic, educational, professional and material success.
