With the steady inflow of remittances to the Philippines and the growing awareness of its potential for sustenance and development, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) recognized the need to establish BaLinkBayan. A quip on the Filipino word balikbayan (a returning overseas Filipino), BaLinkBayan is a means to connect Filipino individuals and communities to the Philippines through the Diaspora to Development (D2D) program of the CFO.

The portal responds to the need for diaspora driven development as an access and a gateway for overseas Filipinos to engage in various ways in an effort to contribute to a prosperous and developing Philippine economy. The portal is an inter-agency undertaking of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) with the City Government of Cagayan de Oro (CDO).