COMMISSION on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Secretary Dante Ang II said cultural exchange plays a vital role in global learning.
Ang recently met with representatives from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to review the country’s Exchange Visitor Program.
He also reminded Filipino educators on the J-1 visa program to “honor their commitment to return home after completing the program.” Historically, the Philippines is the top sending country for the J-1 teacher category, according to the CFO.
The J-1 visa program, established under the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 and later the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, was designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the US and other countries.
Ang’s meeting with CPS centered on the professional welfare of Filipino teachers and the nonnegotiable “two-year home-country physical presence requirement” that defines the J-1 category.
“The heart of the Exchange Visitor Program is the bridge it builds between nations,” Ang said. “But for that bridge to remain functional, our beneficiaries must fulfill their obligation to bring those global skills back to the Philippines.”
The CFO said Chicago has emerged as a primary destination for Filipino teaching talent. The district currently hosts about 275 Filipino teachers, making up the vast majority of its 350-member international educator cohort.
Christine Murphy-Judson of CPS said the program is designed for professional development and cultural immersion, not as a direct pathway to permanent migration.
Paola Carrera, also of CPS, detailed the district’s structured support for these teachers, which includes mentoring and cultural orientation in high-demand fields such as special education, mathematics and science.
The meeting ended with both parties agreeing to enhance tracking and support mechanisms for returning teachers, ensuring that their experience in Chicago contributes to the strategic elevation of the Philippine education sector.
By ensuring J-1 participants return to the Philippines after their maximum five-year stay, Ang said the CFO fulfills its mission to prevent “brain drain” and instead promote “brain gain” — infusing the Philippine education system with international best practices.
The CFO said in the last decade, the number of Filipino J-1 teachers has seen a steady increase due to domestic teacher shortages in the US.
Since the EVP Committee’s inception via Administrative Order 191 in 1956, the Philippine government has monitored thousands of participants to ensure the skills acquired abroad are utilized for national development.
The CFO serves as the secretariat of the EVP Committee. The commission does not merely facilitate the registration of departing exchange visitors; it acts as the primary agency connecting overseas Filipinos to the motherland culturally, politically and economically.
