BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has employed students and out-of-school youth to work this vacation through the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES).
Those who are qualified in the program are 15-30 years old, are willing to continue their education and are able to accomplish the qualifications and documentary requirements, and they belong to a family whose annual income does not exceed the poverty threshold of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with a family of six.
According to Labor and Employment Officer II Gladys Sawi of the Bontoc LGU, 84 SPES beneficiaries were deployed in the 16 barangays of Bontoc to conduct house profiling which is necessary for collecting information at the barangay level for the use of the Bontoc LGU, national government agencies, NGOs, and civil society for planning, program implementation, and monitoring.
SPES workers shall complete the total number of 20 official working days which started on July 18, 2022, and will end on August 12, 2022. They are to be paid P464.95 per day. The wage of the SPES workers will come from the 60% counterpart of the Bontoc LGU and 40% from the DOLE.
Prior to their deployment to their respective work assignments, the Public Employment and Service Office conducted an orientation on July 18, 2022, to brief the SPES workers on their duties and responsibilities and the documentary requirements which they have to submit upon completion of work.
Like in the previous years, Sawi mentioned that seven Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are included as SPES workers as they are one of the sectors of the society that should not be left behind, but instead be given equal opportunity.
Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., assured the continuity of the program recognizing that it does not only provide income to financially constrained students but most importantly, develops their intellectual and practical capacities through exposure and actual job experience.
Also, the program is in line with the present administration’s roadmap for the next three years – “ENLANGAKHA: Achieving the Vision for a Dynamic Bontoc”. Englangakha is an old Bontok term meaning to shine brightly. One of its pillars is Empower Communities which includes promoting health and nutrition; local culture and the arts; strengthening support for education and youth development; and maintaining peace and order.
The SPES, a yearly job generation program of the government, is intended to help poor but deserving students to pursue their studies by providing them employment during vacations to augment their tuition for the coming school year. It aims to develop the intellectual capacities of children and harness their potential for the country’s well-being.
