Care resources in the Philippines
Arranging care from abroad means dealing with institutions you may never have used — the agency that certifies caregivers, the ones you must register an employee with, the local office that issues your parent's senior citizen ID. Here they are in one place, with what each is actually for.
We don't vet or endorse anyone. The organizations below are public institutions listed for reference. When you get to hiring an actual person or private agency, the checks are yours to make — the checklist at the bottom is how.
Training & certification
TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)
The government body that certifies caregivers. Caregiving NC II is the credential to ask for; TESDA also lists accredited training centers where you can enroll a family helper you want to upskill.
Official site →
Health coverage
PhilHealth
National health insurance. Filipino seniors are automatically covered — confirm your parent is registered and the member ID is on hand before any hospitalization. Also where you register a caregiver you employ.
Official site →
Benefits & pensions
Social Security System (SSS)
Pensions for retirees who contributed, plus the system you register a household employee with. Worth checking your parent’s contribution record — pensions go unclaimed more often than families expect.
Official site →Pag-IBIG Fund
Housing and savings fund. Relevant here as the third mandatory contribution when you employ a caregiver or kasambahay properly.
Official site →
First aid training
Philippine Red Cross
First aid, basic life support, and caregiving-adjacent training courses — a practical, affordable way to get a family caregiver properly trained in emergencies.
Official site →
Hospitals & emergencies
Department of Health (DOH)
Health programs and public hospital information, including the health facilities directory when you need to know what a province actually has.
Official site →
Local government
OSCA — Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (your parent’s city or municipality)
Every city and municipality
Issues the senior citizen ID that unlocks the 20% discount and VAT exemption on medicines and medical services. Every LGU has one; some also run social pensions or medicine assistance for indigent seniors.
City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO/MSWDO)
Every city and municipality
The local office for social pension programs, assistance for indigent seniors, and referrals. Worth one visit in person — programs vary by LGU and are rarely well advertised online.
How to vet a caregiver yourself
No directory replaces this. Whether you found someone through an agency, a parish, or a cousin's recommendation, run every one of these:
- Ask for a government ID and a TESDA certificate (if they claim one) — and photograph both.
- Call two previous employers yourself. Not the numbers written on a résumé printout; ask the referee to confirm details you already know.
- Ask what they would do if your parent fell and could not get up, or refused their medication. The answer tells you more than any certificate.
- Ask about their own family and commute. A caregiver with an unworkable arrangement will leave in month two, and the disruption falls on your parent.
- Agree pay, days off, and duties in writing before day one — including who covers when they are sick.
- Register them with SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, and pay the 13th month. It is the law, and it is why good caregivers stay.
- Run a two-week paid trial with a specific check-in date. Say out loud that it is a trial.
- Set up your own supervision: a weekly video call at a time you pick, and one local person who can drop in unannounced.
Know the level of care you're hiring for before you interview anyone — the care needs assessment takes three minutes. For what it should cost, run the caregiver cost calculator, and once someone starts, the payslip generator keeps the employment side clean.