The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-Cordillera Office is calling all local government units, non-government organizations, people’s organizations, and religious or civic organizations and associations to submit their nominations for the regional search for OWWA’s Model Overseas Filipino Worker for the Family of the Year Award (MOFYA).

The MOFYA is an annual search that aims to give proper recognition to the OFWs and their families on their success which exemplify the best practices of OFW families towards optimizing the gains of overseas migration and leading to enterprise development and generation of employment opportunities in the community.

OWWA Regional Director Manuela Peña said the search will be composed of the land-based and sea-based categories.

It is open to an OWWA member OFW, whether active or a returnee, married or single but acts as head of the family, and has at least four years experience of working abroad.

Past MOFYA nominees who have not won in the regional level search can be nominated again.

Peña said the OFW family will be judged based on wholesome OFW family relation and solidarity, civic/community involvement of the OFW and his/her family, success in OFW and/or family members’ education or profession, and success in managing family finances.

Nomination forms can be acquired at the OWWA Regional office along Private Road, Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City, at the provincial offices of the Department of Labor, and at the  OWWA  migrant workers’ desks of LGUs in the region. The deadline of submission is on Sept. 20.

The region’s model OFW Family will receive prizes in cash and in kind from OWWA and its program partners, and will represent Cordillera in the national MOFYA search.

In 2011, the families of OFW Mary Tumapang of Sagada, Mountain Province and OFW Bobby Sauri of La Trinidad, Benguet were hailed as the Cordillera MOFYA awardees for the land-based and sea-based category, respectively.