City hires 370 students for summer jobs

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Government hired 370 more students for the Summer Job Program and set aside an additional P1.5 million expenses for their salaries.

The city will spend less for the student employees as the Department of Labor and Employment-7 has agreed to shoulder 40 percent of the salaries of the 300 of them, while the salaries of 70 other students, at P300 per day per student, will be shouldered fully by the City Hall just as it had shouldered the salaries of the 1,000 students who were first hired by the program.

With DOLE-7’s 40 percent share, the city has saved about P720,000 on 300 students. The city earlier appropriated P6 million for the employment of 1,000 qualified students for the summer job. The city may hire more since the SPES has a reserve fund of P10.5 million for this year for the program.

The hiring of additional students is to give opportunity to more youth to raise money for their schooling during the next semester or school year.

The new hires will work at the City Hall on May 11, 2011 to June 6, 2011.

SPES is mandated under Republic Act 7323 and is created to provide income opportunities to poor but deserving students so they may be encouraged to continue schooling.

The SPES is created because the government is aware of the increasing number of students who can not pursue their education due to financial constraint and not due to intellectual deficiency.

The program, which is open to students 18 to 24 years old, aims to financially assist students to pursue their education, minimize juvenile delinquency and provide work experience to the students.

Students will work in City Hall offices for 20 days. — (FREEMAN)