Zambo City allots P16-M for student employment program

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

April 22, 2019, 8:00 pm

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The city government has allocated PHP16.7 million for this year's Summer Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) here.

Socorro Rojas, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) chief, said Monday that some 2,206 college and high school students, including out of school youths (OSYs) and the so-called SPES babies, will benefit from this year's program.

Rojas said the first batch comprises 1,366 college students and SPES babies, who will start working on Tuesday, April 23. The second batch is composed of 840 high school students, college and OSYs.

The SPES is jointly undertaken by the city government and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) with a 60-40 percent sharing for the salaries of the student-beneficiaries.

However, Rojas said the number of beneficiary-students for the second batch declined by 560 from the initial target of 1,400 after DOLE informed the city government of the 50 percent decrease in the agency's budget that affected several programs to include SPES of which the labor department is responsible to pay the 40 percent counterpart.

The SPES program covers a working period of 20 days with a daily wage of PHP503.09 per student. Each of the SPES beneficiary-student will receive a total salary of PHP10,061.80 for a 20-day work period.

Under the program, the areas of assignment of the students include selected city government offices and barangays and offices located in their locality.

Rojas said the implementation of the program is based on Republic Acts 7323 and 95471 or the Act strengthening and expanding the coverage of the SPES amending for the purpose the provisions of R.A. 7323, otherwise known as the SPES. (PNA)

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