By Liza Agoot with reports from Aiza Caramto, OJT/PNA
BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment- Cordillera Administrative Region (DOLE-CAR) has allocated PHP18.88 million for this year’s Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) in the region or commonly known as the government’s summer job program.
“The budget comes from the regular fund of the DOLE-CAR, which is distributed to the different provinces,” said Maria Konika de Leon, regional labor and employment officer, on Thursday.
Kalinga will get PHP3.06 million; Abra, PHP2.96 million; Ifugao, PHP2.91 million; Baguio, PHP2.91 million; Benguet, PHP2.64 million; Apayao, PHP2.5 million; and Mountain Province, PHP1.9 million.
De Leon said students aged 15 to 25 who are enrolled in the current school year are eligible to avail of the government’s assistance, that comes in the form of summer jobs.
The salary that the students will receive can be used in time for the enrollment of the next school year, which will allow them to finish their studies.
She said the salary of the SPES beneficiary is jointly paid by the local government concerned and DOLE.
Private employers, national government agencies (NGAs), and 1st to 5th class cities and provinces, and the 1st to 3rd class municipalities shoulder the 60 percent of the prevailing minimum wage while the 40 percent will be paid by the DOLE.
De Leon added that 5th class municipalities will pay 40 percent of the salary while the DOLE will pay the 60 percent. The 6hth class municipalities will pay 25 percent of the salary and the remaining 75 percent will be paid by the DOLE.
DOLE-CAR information officer Patrick Rillorta said the beneficiaries must have obtained a passing grade and their parents’ joint annual income must not exceed PHP36,000.
Rillorta said SPES is an employment bridging program during summer or Christmas vacation that aims to augment the family income of poor but deserving students who want to finish their education.
In Baguio City, Janna Vivian Elitan, labor and employment assistant at the Public Employment Services Office, said there will be 400 students who will benefit from this year’s SPES program which is divided into two batches.
This is to give way to the two schedules adopted by schools in the city where some end on March while others in May, Elitan said.
The students will work for 25 to 30 days with a salary rate of PHP503.09 per day.
In 2018, around 6,000 students in various provinces of the region benefited from the SPES program.
