P3M set for special work for students

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The Department of Labor and Employment released P3,046,400 additional fund for the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) in the Cordillera Administrative Region to hire 1,000 deserving students from September to December this year.

The notice was contained in a memorandum from DOLE Cordillera regional director Sixto Rodriguez sent to the agency’s provincial offices.

As stated in the memorandum, the additional fund extends the SPES in CAR for the period September-December this year to provide more employment opportunities for deserving students which they could use to bankroll their studies in their quest to acquire descent education.

The September-December additional SPES fund which represents DoLE’s counterpart is distributed to Abra –P396,032; Apayao – P152,320; Baguio – P852,992; Benguet – P822,528; Ifugao – P274,476; Kalinga – P274,176 and Mt. Province – PP274,176.

The September-December SPES hiring targets 1,000 students in the entire Cordillera region with Baguio having the highest number of 280, Benguet – 270 Abra – 130, Apayao - 50 and the rest of the provinces have 90 students each.

Hiring gives priority to out-of-school-youths intending to enroll in tertiary or technical and vocational courses, working students in colleges and universities and present students in TESDA and other vocational schools who cannot complete their courses because of financial constraint so that the purpose of the assistance will be fulfilled and indigent students will be given the priority in opportunities for employment opportunities that could be used to finance their education as they aspire for a higher level of education to ensure their better productivity.

DOLE usually offers the SPES every summer vacation to provide financial support to poor students entering college and technical-vocational education so that they could immediately acquired the appropriate knowledge and skills that they could use to earn a descent income for their families.

Under a “40-60” salary payment sharing scheme between DoLE and partner hiring agencies of the program, the total counterpart amount of partner agencies to the September-December SPES round is P4,569,500.

Provincial Labor and Employment Officer Avelina Manganip said they will tap schools for this round since local government units, at this time of the year, can not commit counterpart pledges.

Submission of pledges from partner schools is until Sept. 15, while the DOLE memorandum stated that “excess” funds not meet by pledges from partners will be allocated on a per demand basis from other interested provinces.

Students hired under the SPES are paid salaries not lower than the minimum wage rate prevailing in the particular place.

Manganip advised interested applicants to submit all necessary documents to avoid perennial delays in the claims.