By Rachel Magday

 

NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — Gov. Atty. Jose V. Gambito led the payout of honorarium for 141 beneficiaries of the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), a joint initiative of the provincial government and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that provides paid summer work to students, on August 14.

Gov. Gambito reiterated his longstanding message that the provincial government is preparing the province for the youth through programs that build opportunities, skills and values—and, in turn, he urged young people to prepare themselves for the province by completing their studies, sharpening their competencies, and cultivating discipline and a spirit of service to the community.

Under SPES’ cost-sharing scheme, the provincial government shoulders 60 percent of each beneficiary’s honorarium, while the remaining 40 percent is covered by DOLE.

PESD Manager Dolly Rose C. Minas, who oversees the program’s implementation, said the provincial government allocated P1 million as counterpart funding for this year’s SPES cycle.

Student-beneficiaries worked for 20 days, receiving a stipend of P619 per day.

Minas added that high school beneficiaries were assigned to clean and maintain the provincial capitol grounds, while college students were deployed to various offices at the capitol for tasks related to their courses, giving them practical exposure to public service and workplace skills.

Minas also noted that many of the student-beneficiaries rendered their service during the peak of the Grand Ammungan Festival in May, when the provincial capitol required heightened cleaning and maintenance to accommodate visitors and events.

SPES, a program initiated by DOLE, aims to help students earn during their summer break while gaining work experience that strengthens their readiness for future employment and helps families offset educational expenses.