By Shien C. Maiquez

(NEWS FEATURE) Calamba City’s Special Education for the Employment of Students (SPES) 2013 recorded 559 participants this year. This is according to the report released by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) in June 2013.

SPES is mandated under the Republic Act 7393 or the act to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations. In the Calamba City, PESO is the implementing agency.

PESO Department Head Peter Capitan briefing the 2013 SPES participants on April 29, 2013. Photo courtesy of PESO Calamba.

Calamba was among the first to implement SPES in 1995. The number of annual participants vary with the amount of funds allocated by each municipality. Calamba City is able to accommodate an average of 465 students every summer. Since 1995, SPES Calamba has recorded 8,413 beneficiaries.

SPES 2013 Orientation of applicants at LLC Auditorium on March 8, 2013. Photo courtesy of PESO Calamba.

Calamba PESO Department Head Peter Capitan explained that the program is for students who are of good academic standing and one or both of the student’s parents should unemployed or have no permanent source of income.

Angelo Dy, 17 and a resident of Villa de Calamba, is a student of Laguna College of Business and Arts. Like many students, he lives wanting to help out his parents with the household expenses. His mother manages a store in front of the police station where he would often be and when he heard about SPES he grabbed the opportunity right away.

Students who want to apply for the program are required to submit a report of their family’s net income and student class cards, among other documents to verify their qualifications. Aside from these, the student must also be enrolled for the current semester or for the semester preceding the program.

Participating schools in Calamba City include the University of Perpetual Help, St. John Colleges, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and The Lyceum of the Philippines. SPES participants can also come from other schools as long as they are residents of Calamba. There have been participants from University of the Philippines Los Baños, Malayan Colleges, and Canossa de San Pablo Colleges.

This year, an additional 398 students was employed through the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Community Based Employment Program (CBEP), a complementing program to the SPES. CBEP is a upholds a policy of hiring 50% of unskilled or underskilled workers and 30% skilled workers in local communities. Representative Edgar San Luiz, proposed to DOLE to acquire more funds to accommodate more students this year. Overall, there were an additional 2,000 additional students from the province of Laguna taken in for the summer internship program under the CBEP.

With SPES and CBEP combined, Calamba recorded 957 participants who benefited from the paid summer internship program. These participants underwent job interviews and screenings and were selected to be the most deserving.

Seventeen-year–old Dy emphasizes the importance of perseverance in being accepted to the program. After completing the requirements and passing the interview, Angelo was set for a month long employment. He was excited for the chance to spend his summer gaining experience in the work force. He was put under the task of inventory and filing. Dy completed his first SPES experience in the summer of 2013 and he was satisfied with it. He also recommends joining SPES to his peers.

The local government of Calamba distributes SPES and CBEP participants among the different departments, as each and every department is required to help in the program. SPES participants are given office or clerk work, liaison, computerization and community surveying. There are also opportunities to become tour guides in landmarks like the ancestral house of Jose Rizal.

“The focus of SPES is not only to earn money, but also to serve as a training ground for them to become more competitive when they graduate,” explained Capitan. The PESO department head shared that they were pleasantly surprised to receive words of gratitude from individuals who were part of the SPES. These SPES participants would also update Capitan on their current employment.

Dy said that his experience with the SPES program was able to inspire him to become steadfast and persevering in his work. He learned to work even harder than before. His experience with the people he worked under and the people he worked with was also enjoyable as they were easy to get along with. Dy established his own connections within the municipality through the program. He believes that SPES definitely gave him a big boost and that it increased his chances of making it in the real world.

SPES 2012 participant, Roselle Previlla,18, in in agreement with Dy. “It’s like a training ground. We’re shown that we all have to start at the bottom. We need to work hard even if we have an edge from graduating from a good school.”

Previlla is a student of the University of the Philippines Los Baños and is a resident of Brgy. Majada, Calamba City. She shared that SPES taught her about teamwork and patience. Previlla was assigned in the City Housing and Settlements Department as an encoder and community surveyor.

“Sometimes there are no job openings in the city hall, so students are assigned to departments in barangays instead. Participants must be prepared to do what job is given to them even if it’s not in their field of specialization,” Previlla explained.

Both Dy and Previlla say that given the chance, they would want to participate in SPES in the future. It is good news to know that it is very much likely to happen.

PESO Calamba aims to help SPES and CBEP participants finish their studies and pursue their career. After graduating completion of the summer internship program, the local government of Calamba also helps in finding job openings for the participants.

Participants of SPES receive their wages at the end of the program. Each day they work corresponds to Php 255 or the minimum wage. According to Capitan, the particpants’ wages are given directly to the participants through a payroll system.

By law, 60% of the wages of the students must come from the local government while the remaining 40% is provided by the DOLE. PESO Calamba started releasing the remaining 40% of this years program on September 20.

Although it has been more than three months of waiting for the portion of the DOST, Dy understands that the funds of the national government takes time to be processed. The participants of SPES have been oriented about this problem prior to their working days as it has been a common trend ever since it was first conducted. This year, the remaining 40% wage from DOST had been delayed because of the processing of the additional 2,000 students in Laguna that participated from the CBEP.

According to Dessy Encinas, an employee of PESO Calamba, the portion of DOST is delayed because even if they send the profiles and documents of the participants they have already verified, DOST must then re-asses all documents to ensure that none has been tampered with. Calamba City aims to be able to provide the 60% wage by the end of May to be able to provide support for the student’s enrollment onto the first semester. Over the years, the participants use the portion of the DOST for their second semester expenses.

The Calamba SPES program prioritizes college students with their youngest participants at least in their third year in college. “College students feel the importance of employment more so that somewhat ensures us that they use the funds to finish their studies,” says Encinas.

Upon acceptance into the program, SPES participants are expected to act professionally. Grounds for the removal of a participant from the program include excessive absences, bad work ethics, and destruction of government property. In cases as such, the students will not receive any wage even if they have been employed for several weeks already. However, in cases where absences are justified, the wages they earned in the days they have worked will still be given to them at the end of the program. Such grounds include the participant being sick or having to take care of an immediate family member.

Falsification of documents are an annual problem, according to Encinas. There have been cases of people over the age of 25 wanting to participate. They use falsified birth certificates. Signatures of school registrar’s are also forged usually by students who do not meet the grade requirement of the program of an average 2.5.

“From the start we see who is trust worthy or not. If they cannot be honest with documents, what more when they are placed in their workstations?” said Encinas.

In Calamba, the three million annual budget for the wages of the participants can only cover so much. Department Head Peter Capitan hopes to double the number of beneficiaries given the chance for securing additional budget for the program. He added that there is no problem in finding work for the students to do. PESO has community projects that need all the manpower that it can get.

Capitan also hopes to be able to improve the language and communication skills of his participants, as he believes that the skill is needed for every type of job the students will ever hope to have.

Dy’s advise to SPES applicants is to “do things to the best of your abilities.” Previlla emphasized that, “students should mind the deadlines of requirement and that they should be willing to be placed in any department, in any place.”

Department Head Capitan wants the hopeful applicants to be aware that being in SPES is being in a commitment. He explained that the participants “need to be consistent with their life. They have good grades, good traits, and that we can see their perseverance to study and to finish their studies.”

by Meiji D. Pancho

More than 200 elderly attended the second Los Baños Senior Citizen’s Summit  themed “Masaya at Malusog na Buhay Habang Nagkaka-edad” at the UP Los Baños NCAS Auditorium on September 20, 2013.

Despite the cloudy weather, Erma D. Yanoria, who also attended last year’s summit, said that she came because she wanted to exercise and be informed of the conditions that come with old age. For Ernesto Cuenca, a first time attendee, he came for the companionship of his fellow senior citizens.

Yanoria and Cuenca, along with the rest of the participants enjoyed the free health screening after the memory walk. The health screening was composed of several stations that measured the elderly’s blood pressure, pulse rate, height and weight, cholesterol level, and blood sugar.

The health screening was also coupled with nutrition counseling and dementia screening. LRI-Therapharma MSD, Pfizer, SANOFI, MERCK, One Pharma, and the University Health Service (UHS) sponsored the medical services of the event.

With the personal health information they had, the senior citizens evaluated their lifestyle and diet practices through the lecture of Dr. Cheridine Oro-Josef, Chairman of Committee on Geriatrics of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP), on “Malusog na Pamumuhay sa Paglipas ng Panahon.” She discussed with the elderly the problems they would encounter in aging and how they can prevent these problems. The participants also learned about the different needs of their body according to their age classification stage.

Dr. Josef also gave tips on how to choose their food and cleared the common misconceptions in diet practices. Lastly, Dr. Josef encouraged the senior citizens to exercise not only their bodies but also their minds, to practice healthy living, and to continuously gain new knowledge and make new dreams and goals.

In his welcome remarks Dr. Renato V. Torres, program director of the UPLB Elderly Development Program (EDP) said that they want to see the Los Baños senior citizens out and about, making a difference in their respective communities. United Bayanihan Foundation (UBF) retiree Ted Seno, talked about active aging. He encouraged the elderly to “make the rest of your life the best of your life” and gave five ways that the elderly can do to lengthen their healthy lives. Seno stressed the importance of their sector’s contribution to the development of the community and deeply stimulated them to volunteerism.

The senior citizens left with energized bodies through the exercises led by Professor Naomi Enriquez and Quan Minh Phan of the UPLB Department of Human Kinetics and the dance steps and games provided by Skelan.

Eugenio Mercado, one of the participants, said that he learned that people in his age should continue being happy and have a sense of humor, he also added that he was enthused to eat the right foods and maintain the cleanliness of his surroundings since it fosters good health. Arsenia Lantican, also a first time attendee said “Yung hindi ko alam, nalaman ko dito kaya uulit pa ako.”

The United Bayanihan Foundation (UBF), the senior citizens advocacy of UNILAB foundation, primarily sponsored the event. In partnership with the College of Human Ecology, Department of Human and Family Development Studies, UPLB  Elderly Development Program (EDP), and the  UPLB Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs. Other main sponsors were Alzheimer’s disease Association of the Philippines Manila Chapter, Skelan, and Ritemed.

by Earl Gio N. Manuel with reports from Monica B. Sunga

Almost three hundred runners participated in the Bañamos Fun Run 2013 organized by the Los Baños Municipal Government held on September 21.

The fun run was organized as part of the week-long Bañamos Festival.

“Nakita namin, usong-uso ang fun run and kaya nyang mag-produce ng certain amount of income na pwede naming magamit sa scholarship program,” said Councilor John “Jonjie” Emmanuel P. Oliva, the head organizer of the fun run.

The event started at exactly 5:30 in the morning and ended around 8 a.m. The first finishers were recognized immediately after the run. They were Michael Bacong from Bay, Laguna for the 3 km run, Jujet de Asis from Cabuyao City for the 5 km run, and Rene Desuyo from Taguig City for the 10 km run category. Each received Php 3,000 as cash prize.

10 km Run Winner Desuyo (center) with the fun run organizers headed by Councilor Oliva (rightmost) during the awarding ceremonies.

The 25-year-old Desuyo said “Maganda ang pag-organize dito. Ang nagustuhan ko kasi ay yung magandang ruta. Tsaka walang usok.”

Special awards were also given to six year-old Kyle Andrei Cheng who received the “Batang Runner Award” and Vicente Caurez, 76, as the “Oldest Contestant” awardee.

“Ika nga eh, ehersisyo tapos makatulong sa magandang adhikain ng munisipyo,” answered Caurez when asked why he joined the fun run.

Due to the success of the activity, the organizers of the fun run headed by Oliva are planning to hold a similar event later this year. Proceeds of the second fun run will likewise be for the benefit of the scholars of the Los Baños municipal government.

“Ang nakikita kong impact nito sa community natin, una awareness lalo na yung mga kababayan natin sa baybay-dagat na they’re still part of Bañamos Festival. At pangalawa, awareness din sa kabataan na makita nila na meron palang ganitong activity and pwede pala tayong sumali,” added Oliva.

Two lines changed Mina’s and Bryan’s lives. Two lines that showed on the pregnancy test kit that confirmed the presence of a baby.

Mina and Bryan came from broken families, struggled to get by, and longed for love. They found each other, and were four months into the relationship when they started having sexual intercourse. They thought condoms and pills would be enough for Mina not to get pregnant. Mina was 18 while Bryan was 17 when a baby came into their lives. She was a high school graduate while he was a high school dropout.

They are just one among many teenage couples who engaged in premarital sex that resulted in unwanted pregnancy. According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), there was a 65% increase on teenage pregnancy rate from 2000 to 2011 notably observed among girls aged 15 to 19. Only 38% of them reported delivering their baby.

Seeking ways to stop the growing rate of teenage pregnancy, Laguna 3rd District Representative Sol Aragones filed House Bill 341 or the Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Responsibility and Opportunity Act. The proposed law seeks to  stop the rapid increase in teenage pregnancy incidence through authorizing the Department of Health (DOH) to allow local educational agencies, local public health agencies, and non-profit private entities to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies.

Prevention is better

According to Aragones, a too-early childbearing “increases the likelihood that a young woman will drop out of high school and that she and her child will live in poverty.” She hopes to prevent similar situations because, “[s]tatistically, the sons of teen mothers are more likely to end up in prison. The daughters of teen mothers are more likely to end up teen mothers too,” she said.

The Philippine Constitution, under Article 2 Section 13, provides that “[t]he State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social wel-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.” It is this clause that served as the foundation of HB 341.

The Bill addresses teenage pregnancy prevention by stressing the need to institute projects that provide education on preventing teenage pregnancies. This is possible through age-appropriate education on “factually and medically accurate, complete, and scientifically-based” information, with emphasis on encouraging teens to delay sexual activity.

In Bryan and Mina’s case, it was Bryan who urges or initiates sexual intercourse. He was confident that pregnancy would never happen because he asked Mina to take pills. But his knowledge on contraception was limited.

“Naka-condom naman ako. Pero nung huli na di nako nag-condom… [kasi] umiinom na si Mina ng pills,” (I always wear condoms whenever we do it. But the last time we had sex, I no longer used a condom since Mina was already taking pills.) he said. They later found out it was not enough precaution.

In a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2002, it was found out that boys and girls become sexually active at the age of 15; that more boys start having sex earlier than girls their age; and that contraceptive use was low. It is this very scenario that the proposed law seeks to address. According to WHO, the low level of contraceptive use was “influenced by social class and education levels.”

In the Philippines, based on information from the Family Health Survey, insufficient access to information about sexual health and reproductive health services is a reason for unwanted pregnancy.

Education about pressures of parenting

Aragones also proposes that the government provide “educational services and referrals for sexually active teens or teens at risk of becoming sexually active,” to tell these teens about the risk of their sexual behavior.

Mina, for example, planned to take up a two-year course at the National College of Science and Technology. Being the eldest child in the family, she was supposedly “pag-asa ng pamilya” (the hope of the family) to rise from poverty. When her family found that she was carrying a baby, “[i]tinakwil nila si Mina,” (They disowned Mina) according to Bryan. It was hard for the family to hear the words “buntis po ako” (I am pregnant).

Mina and Bryan were equally disappointed with themselves because they knew, even then, that they wouldn’t be able to provide their baby’s needs.That was when abortion became an option. But the pregnancy continued, and Bryan immediately took the responsibility of being a father. He worked as a bakery assistant, a market boy, and an illegal factory worker. Later, when he could no longer provide for his family, Mina left him to be with an older man who had a stable job and could provide for Samantha.

Parents communicating with teens about sexuality

In the book “Focusing On Kids,” Sonestein et al said it is not only girls who should be educated about responsible parenting; boys should be included for the following reasons: (1) It takes two to create a pregnancy; (2) Boys and men should be held responsible for their sexual behavior – just because they cannot get pregnant does not mean they should be irresponsible; and (3) Boys and men want to be more responsible about their sexual behavior.

Teens with absent parents seek advice from friends about sex, while those with strong attachment to their parents, Aragones said, “are more likely to become sexually active at a later age. Seven out of ten teens say that they are prepared to listen to things parents thought they were not ready to hear.”

A population officer interviewed at Sunday Punch on August 12 said that: “With the high number of teenage mothers or parents, we are creating a society dependent upon their parents instead of a society that is striving to succeed in their lives.” Mina easily fits into this category of teens depending on someone older in order to support her child.

While 36.7% of young Filipinos believe that  “early sexual encounter is acceptable in society,” as National Youth Commissioner Percival Cendaña said, Aragones hopes to make available services that can persuade teens to delay sexual activity, and teach them about responsible decision-making. (Andrea Joyce Arbues)