Special employment program for students

It’s summer again. This may mean vacation to students but to the SPES grantees, this means income and a paid tuition.
Under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), 220 young people are given the opportunity to serve the public and earn P200 daily for 20 days while on summer break.
“It is our distinct privilege to be your employer in what I believe is your first employment,” said Provincial Administrator Rufo Peligro in his message to the grantees during their orientation held at the Government Center, Tagum City recently.
SPES, according to the Bureau of Local Employment, “is mandated under Republic Act 7323 otherwise known as “An Act to Help Poor But Deserving Students Pursue Their Education By Encouraging Their Employment During Summer…” and “is a joint undertaking of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Finance.”
The Provincial Government took part in the SPES implementation by providing 60 percent of the grantees’ salary which would be in the form of cash; 40 percent would come from DOLE “in the form of education voucher” to make sure that a portion of the grantees salary will go to the school so as not to defeat the objective of the program which is “to help students pursue their education.”
“But the opportunity to be a SPES grantee means a whole lot more,” said Peligro. “It is the knowledge of work ethics and the ability to co-exist and live harmoniously with others in the work environment,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Provincial PESO (Public Employment Service Office) through its coordinator, Gloria Pamugas, recently deployed the first batch of SPES grantees to the different provincial and local government offices within Davao del Norte. The 2nd batch will be on May 5.