TOURISM WORKERS. Beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Special Program for the Employment of Students pose at the Thunderbird Resort in San Fernando City, La Union in this undated photo. DOLE has 3,155 slots for the SPES and 3,927 for the Government Internship Program this year. (Photo courtesy of DOLE-Ilocos Region)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – About 84 percent of the Department of Labor and Employment-Ilocos Region’s (DOLE-1) government internship program (GIP) has been availed of to date, providing students the opportunities to work for state-run agencies.
In a phone interview on Friday, DOLE-1 information officer Jenny Mapile said the regional office has allocated PHP159.6 million for 3,927 slots under the GIP this year.
She said 3,299 interns have already started working under the program, which has a duration of three to six months.
GIP is a component of KABATAAN 2000, under Executive Order (EO) no. 139 s.1993 and DOLE Administrative Order No. 260-15, aimed at providing young workers, particularly the poor, the opportunity to hone their potentials in public service.
Under the program, students or fresh graduates may work in government agencies or local government units and receive a stipend equivalent to 100 percent of the applicable minimum salary rate in the region
Jonalyn Zarate, an intern at the Philippine Information Agency-Pangasinan, said the GIP is beneficial in providing her with work experience.
"As a GIP intern, nahahasa po 'yung skills ko at mas nadadagdagan pa po 'yung experience ko. Sa pag-gain ko po ng experience, nagkakaroon din po ako ng income kahit government intern po position ko (As a GIP intern, my skills are being honed and I get more work experience. As I gain work experience, I also earn income even though I am onlu a government intern)," she said.
DOLE also allocated over PHP13 million for the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), which provide students summer jobs in private and public sectors.
Employers will provide 60 percent of the students’ salaries while the balance of 40 percent will be shouldered by DOLE.
“For SPES, as of May 31 reporting, there are now 211 who have started working,” Maple said in Filipino.
Last year, 4,032 students from the Ilocos Region benefited from SPES and about 5,720 interns availed of the GIP. (PNA)
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