350 enrolled in city’s SPES

SOME 350 students were chosen by the city’s Public Employment and Services office (PESO) as recipients of this year’s Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), a joint project of the local government and the labor department.

Jose Atanacio, PESO manager and Executive Assistant IV of the City Mayor’s Office, said his office will be finalizing the list of the SPES beneficiaries this year to be posted in three areas inside the city hall for the information of those who had been chosen to have a summer job.

Of the 350 SPES beneficiaries this year, 114 were first timers of the program while the remaining 235 slots were either second, third or fourth to join SPES.

Atanacio said the first batch of SPES beneficiaries will start working with the concerned offices of the local government and other private establishments from April 24 to June 5 while the second batch of beneficiaries will work from June 13 to July 25.

PESO revealed there were 540 students who registered for the program but only 509 individuals were able to take the qualifying examination. But only 115 passed during the exam administered by the representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Under the prescribed SPES rules and regulations, 60 percent of the salaries of the SPES workers will be provided by the local government while the remaining 40 percent will be given by the labor department in terms of education vouchers directly paid to the school where the students are enrolled.

Atanacio expressed his gratitude to those who actively participated in the examination and interviews to screen those who are really qualified to avail of the

program.

He called on those who were not able to qualify this year to try their luck next year.

The PESO official added interested SPES applicants must always check the bulletin board of their office for notification of the scheduled filing of applications for the SPES in the future so that they will not be overtaken by events when the scheduled submission of applications will be opened to the public. Dexter See/ PIO