On June 7, 2026, we marked National Migrant Workers’ Day by honoring our Overseas Filipino Workers — the unsung heroes who carry Bohol and the nation on their shoulders, one sacrifice at a time.
Do we still see them in their 3:00 a.m. shifts in foreign hospitals? Do we still feel the hands that scrub floors not their own? Do we still realize the birthdays missed, the graduations watched on video calls, and the “Take care” whispered before another contract is signed?
They leave home so their children wouldn’t have to. They carry loneliness so their children won’t carry poverty. They send money, but more than that, they send hope. They are our migrant workers – are our modern heroes, crowned not with gold but with sacrifice.
To Our Modern Heroes, To every OFW: We see you.
The Leader Who Acted First
In 1995, Bohol had no office for OFW concerns. Problems dragged from DOLE Provincial to OWWA Region 7 while families waited in anxiety.
Then-Vice Governor Edgar “Chatto” Chatto refused to let red tape win. He opened the first OFW Desk at his Special Projects Office, part of the Legislative Tracking System he built for accountability. That desk became the first lifeline.
In 2001, as 1st District Congressman of Bohol, he kept that desk in his district office and personally tracked cases across Bohol. Because of it, many Boholano and non-Boholano OFWs in distress were repatriated. He also arranged the return of remains for those who died abroad, so they could rest in Boholano soil.
In 2010 as Governor, he institutionalized it — creating a permanent, strong OFW Desk at the Bohol Employment and Placement Office, BEPO. He built strong ties with OWWA, DOLE, POEA, and DFA. He linked OFW groups worldwide and backed programs for OFW families through the “OFW Action Line” radio program and active social media.
That desk, that vision, that refusal to let any Boholano face the world alone — that’s what became Bohol’s OFW office today. CHATTO built it. CHATTO fought for it.
In an interview, Chatto said: “Ang inyong kakugi para sa kaugmaon sa inyong mga pamilya among gihandum ug gipasalamatan. Hinaot nga naa mo kanunay sa maayong panglawas ug luwas nga kahimtang. Mabuhi kamong mga modernong bayani! (Your hard work for the future of your families is remembered and deeply appreciated. We hope that you are always in good health and safe. Long live you modern heroes!)”
Victoria Farm: A Homecoming With Purpose
For OFWs dreaming of coming home for good, Bohol has a place that says, “You don’t have to leave again.”
Recently, OWWA Bohol and Region 7 brought 100 OFWs and their families to Victoria Farm in Balilihan through the Reintegration Program. Leading them were Dineza Z. Gella, Head of OWWA Region 7 Programs & Services, and Darlene May P. Gella, Head of Reintegration.
They came to learn, to see, to believe that livelihood and dignity can grow from Boholano soil.
Victoria Farm’s team welcomed them warmly and toured them through a living classroom of agri-tourism. Guests saw sustainable farming: Rhode Island Red Layers, native chickens, ducks, and tilapia ponds full of life — proof that farming can be green and profitable.
But Victoria Farm is more than a farm. It’s a movement. It showcases top Boholano products: fresh eggs, tasty tocino, garlicky longganisa, crunchy banana chips, zesty papaya atchara, pure tablea, real tuba vinegar, and classic kakanin. All made with partners like BAWOD, BaODA, Gella Tablea, and Gina’s Kakanin.
These are the same hands that once packed balikbayan boxes abroad and, now, are packing proud Boholano products for local tables – right there at Victoria Farm. That’s reintegration with dignity.
OWWA Bohol keeps returning to Victoria Farm because it shows what’s possible: when an OFW’s contract ends, a new chapter can start right here at home. Tourism, farming, business — chances Chatto himself pushed as author of the Tourism Act and the Expanded Students’ Employment Program, the Summer Job Act.
A Circle of Care, From Leaving to Returning
From Chatto’s first OFW Desk in 1995 to Victoria Farm’s reintegration programs today, the story is one: Bohol never forgets its own.
To CHATTO: Thank you for building the first bridge when no one else would.
To our OFWs: Thank you for building our nation, even from far away.
To Victoria Farm: Thank you for showing our heroes there’s always a way home.
So, let’s honor our migrant workers with more than words. Let’s support them with programs, buy their products, and keep the promise that Bohol will always have a place ready when they’re ready to come home.
Because every hero deserves a soft landing. And in Bohol, thanks to CHATTO’s foresight and Victoria Farm’s heart, that landing is greener, warmer, and full of promise.