SPES beneficiaries get DOLE checks
Mayor Celso Lobregat personally distributed yesterday morning the checks, representing the 40% counterpart of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), to 627 students who availed of the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) with the city government last summer vacation.
City Social Welfare and Development Officer Francisco Barredo said those who received the DOLE checks yesterday composed the first batch of the total 3,218 high school and college students who had been hired by the city government for summer jobs last April and May, this year.
The checks totaling for P866,263.20 were turned over to Mayor Lobregat last Wednesday by Orlando Bernardino, head of the DOLE Field Office 9 in the city, which was witnessed by other department and city officials. The amount represents DOLE’s P1,699,368.00 total counterpart. The city government already gave out its 60% counterpart.
Recalled, the city government last summer hired a total of 3,218 students under SPES, who were assigned in different barangays and city offices for clerical jobs, cleanliness and beautification activities, street sweeping, janitorial and carpentry at P172.72 daily wage each.
Under the program, 60% or P103.63 of a student’s daily wage was shouldered by the city government while the remaining 40% or P69.08/day will be paid by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Thus, each student received P2,072.64 from the city government and P1,381.76 from DOLE for the duration of their service.
The city government has appropriated the amount of P7.7 million for SPES aimed at helping indigent but deserving students earn extra income during summer to purse their education in the next school year. (Vic Larato)