More than 600 Dabawenyo students and out-of-school youth (OSYs) were hired in 2025, to work in various government offices and private partner institutions under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES).
SPES is a youth employment initiative launched by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) – Davao City, in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which enables students and out-of-school youth aged 15 to 30 from low-income families to earn money during summer or school breaks to support their education while gaining real-world work experience in government offices or private establishments.
Lilibeth Pantinople, head of PESO told the City Information Office (CIO) that there are more than 600 students and out-of-school youth benefited from SPES last year.
“Daghan pod ta og natabangan last year, more than 600 ka mga SPES grantees. So, katung gusto na mag apil, mag anhi lang sila dria sa office, mag pa rehistro, kay para inig mag interview ang atung mga partnered companies, tawagan lang mo namo. Even sa mga out of school youth, pwede sila mag apply basta dili pa sila lampas og 30 years old, og willing sila mu balik og skwela (We have a lot of beneficiaries last year, more than 600 SPES grantees. So, those who want to apply, they can just come here to the office and register so that when our partner companies will have an interview, we can just call you. Even out-of-school youth can apply as long as they are not over 30 years old and are willing to go back to school),” she said.
Pantinople emphasized that out-of-school youth will be typically assigned in malls where they will follow regular employee hours, provided they are committed to return to school. For part-time employees, they will only be required to render four hours of duty per day.
She also clarified that this condition ensures that the SPES remains true to its mission of helping young people continue their education while gaining work experience.
PESO underscored that SPES continues to empower Dabawenyo youth by transforming short term opportunities into lasting careers, noting that several former grantees have already been absorbed by partner companies and even promoted to supervisory positions.
“One good thing kung maka avail sila ning SPES kay pwede sila ma absorb sa mga company, hantud sa mka graduate. Karon naa nay nahimong supervisor sa isa ka store so maka happy gyud siya. Through SPES program, ma credit na to siya as work experience ug dali lang sya ma hire once maka graduate sila sa college (One good thing about applying to the SPES Program is that you can be absorbed by companies until you graduate. There is one employees who’s now a supervisor at a store, so we’re really happy. Through the SPES program, your work experience will be credited and you will be easily hired once you graduate from college),” she added. CIO
Written by: K. Malasado
Edited by: A. Nawal
