What is MMCEAI?


Accredited with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (PSEC) on April 10,2008, Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions, Inc. (MMCEAI) is a service center for migrants active and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their immediately families and communities.


However, it already conducted activities that included distress response to migrant workers like counseling and referrals and in Public Education activities started in 2007.

It was established by a group of advocates, women activist, lawyers, academe, local legislators, former OFWs, relatives of distress OFWs as active response to the alarming trend of distress migrants. Its conception was based on the dire concern of migrants specifically women migrant workers who are caught in despair of this globalization economy of trading people/s for cheap labor as domestic helpers, sex workers and the likes.


It envisions to operate an island-wide scope in Mindanao, Philippines particularly in the 4-exit ports of illegal recruitment and trafficking of women and children, namely Zamboanga City, General Santos City, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City.


MMCEAI will initiate its active programs in Davao City as political climate is favorable to advocacy and the presence of civil service organizations (CSO) to support island-wide campaign and education for migrants whose relatives are active.


Vision

A community that is responsive to the welfare and rights of OFWs here and abroad; that would uplift their status, recognize their contributions and empower them.

Working Definition
Community = straddles local, national or international; composed of public/government agencies, families, academe, other sectors; institutions.

Mission

To be the center in Mindanao for developing communities and building partnerships that empower OFWs and promote and protect their rights and welfare

Purpose / Objectives

  • To provide/facilitate direct assistance and services to OFWs and families
  • To advocate policies and practices that will promote and protect the rights and welfare of migrants
  • To promote better understanding of the situation of OFWs, and local and international issues that concern them
  • To establish partnerships and linkages with agencies, institutions, communities and groups supportive to migrants


Programs and Services

1. Policy Development, Advocacy, and Campaign

Building broad constituency that works for the creation and adoption of local legislative instruments that will translate into concrete policy actions, programs, services and projects for migrants and their families.

2. Media and Public Education

Conduct of regular Public Forums, soiree, caucus, study circles, workshops and consultation on issues and context of labor migration and development in school campus and communities.

Creating venue for healthy discourses with media, researchers/academe and legislators on issues and agenda of migrants and families.

3. Research and Publication

Identifying gaps and prospects of migration and development, through conduct of research studies to support advocacy actions and most importantly on crafting sound legislative proposals and actions. Output materials of the research studies will be a publication material - book, magazine and other related forms.

Production of regular newsletter in English and a community bulletin in community dialect that calls for critical understanding of migration and development.

4. Direct Support and Services

The program has 4-fold component hopefully to address the needs and agenda of migrant workers and their families.
  • Counseling and Referral - Conduct of counseling sessions for distress migrants and families, immediate referral based on the initial diagnoses of the surfacing situations. Follow-up actions will be either through individual or inter-active activities with support network.
  • Organizing - Facilitating the establishment of migrants formations - cluster grouping and/or community-based formations for local campaigns and action support. Special formation fro ANAK OFWs (Children of Migrants) both in school and community to facilitate healthy encounters with OFW parents and among children of migrants. Life-skills capability building activities such as Creative Arts and Crafts Making. Peer educators development and local advocacy action to support their OFW parents agenda.
  • Livelihood Building and Partnership - Capacitating partners - communities and special cluster groupings of migrants and their families for special enterprise development. It will co-facilitate the conduct of feasibility studies, project management capability courses and fund sourcing for ready and capable production-based projects.
5. Women Services and Action (WSAP)

Organizing mission support for migrant survivors from war, epidemic and disaster countries. Mission support will also be organized to migrant families and communities affected by natural and man-made calamities.


Board of Directors




















Ms. Maria Victoria Z. Maglana
BOD Chairperson

Atty. Mary Ann Arnado
Vice-Chairperson

Mr. Mario Vargas
Secretary

Prof. Rosena Sanchez
Treasurer

Ms. Inorisa Sialana-Elento
Executive Director, ex-officio

Members:

  • Ms. Annabelle McCarthy
  • Ms. Remma Baban
  • Atty. Charina Sanz-Zarate
  • Mr. Manuel Cayon
  • Ustadz Mahmod Mala L. Adilao
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