BAGUIO CITY – The Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) opened last Monday, to accept registration of students at the Public Employment Services office (PESO) at the Baguio City Hall.
The registration for both high school and college students started Jan. 11 until Feb. 29, 2016 from 8 A.M. TO 5 P.M., from Mondays thru Fridays.
“This year’s program will be held in two tranches, high school students’ work period will begin in April to May while the tertiary-level students will begin in June,” said PESO Baguio manager Jose Atanacio.
Interested students must be bona-fide Baguio residents, physically fit, 15-25 years old at the time of registration, currently enrolled or a student who has not been able to enroll for the past semester/academic year but is intending to enroll this coming semester/academic year, have garnered an average passing grade during the last school term attended, and must belong to families whose parents’ or guardians’ joint incomes do not exceed P116,898 per year after tax deductions.
Documents needed include original copy of birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statictics Authority (formerly NSO) or by the Local Civil Registrar, original copy of parents’ or guardians’ most recent Income Tax Return forms or a Certificate of Tax Exemption issued by the BIR if they are exempted from paying taxes.
High school students must present last year’s grades while college and vocational students must present recent grades from the first semester of academic year 2016.
The documents must be photocopied before submitting the same at the PESO.
Also, former SPES grantees who wish to avail of the program must also register personally at the PESO during the specified registration period and they must bring their SPES identification cards.
“There are 350 slots available under the program on a first-come first-served basis, thus, an examination for all new registered applicants will be held on March 6 at the Doña Josefa Elementary School,” stressed Atanacio.
The SPES is mandated under Republic Act No. 9547 otherwise known as an act to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations, through incentives granted to employers, allowing them to pay only sixty per centum of their salaries or wages and the forty per centum through education vouchers to be paid by the government, prohibiting and penalizing the filing of fraudulent and fictitious claims, and for other purposes.
Said program is intended to qualified students in order to develop the intellectual capacities of children of poor families and harness their potentials for the country’s well being. Specifically, the Program aims to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by providing income or augment their income through encouraging their employment.
For updates, interested applicants may visit SPES Baguio Facebook Account or visit the PESOffice personally. /Jho Arranz
