This summer vacation, some 9,214 poor but deserving students are working under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) in region 2.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 2 has allocated about P15.78 million for the payment of the agency’s 40% counterpart for the salary of the student-beneficiaries who will work for the period of a minimum of 20 days and a maximum of 30 days. There are 101 partner agencies in which 73 are government entities while the 28 are private establishments.

Among the five provinces in the region, Cagayan has the most number of beneficiaries of 3,484 students working in some 28 government agencies and 17 private establishments. The DOLE’s counterpart for their salary is amounting to ₱6.74 million.

Isabela, on the other hand, has a total beneficiary of 3,070 students working in some 27 government agencies and 6 private establishments. The DOLE’s 40% counterpart is amounting to ₱4.63 million.

In Quirino province, there are 1,360 student-beneficiaries and are deployed in 7 local government units and 1 private higher education institution. The DOLE 2 reserved about P2.3 million for the salary of these students.

Meanwhile, there are 1,125 students in Nueva Vizcaya province who benefit from the program. The students work in some 8 government agencies and 4 private establishments. The 40% DOLE share for the salary of these students is amounting to ₱1.68 million.

Lastly, the province of Batanes has 175 student-beneficiaries from the program in which all of them are working in 3 participating local government units. The share of the DOLE for the salary of these beneficiaries is amounting to ₱0.43 million.

The partner agencies will shoulder the 60% of the salary of the student-beneficiaries based on the prevailing minimum wage in the area.

The SPES program aims to help poor but deserving students to pursue their education by providing income or augment their income through encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations. Out-of-School Youth are also accepted in the program provided they have the intention of going back to school.