Tambuling Batangas Publication May 22-28, 2019 Issue | Page 5

OPINYON
May 22-28, 2019
From SPES beneficiary to DOLE trainee
FIVE summers ago, then 17 year-
old Edison Lata applied for a
short-term job under the Special
Program for the Employment of
Students (SPES), a government
program that enables student-
beneficiaries to gain skills and
workplace
experience
being
implemented by the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Edison just completed
his high school education that
time and was dreaming of going to
college but his family is struggling
to make the both ends meet.

He sought ways to either
apply for college scholarship or
earn money to finance his study at
same time help his family.

And then, he learned
from his friends about SPES
being implemented by DOLE
in cooperation with the local
government units and some
business establishments.

He applied, was accepted
and his experience that summer
paved the way for him at having
various jobs that helped him
sustain his college education.
“Ayokong
maging
pabigat dahil alam ko na pag-
tungtong ko ng kolehiyo, mas
marami na akong magiging
gastusin. Nagamit ko ang naging
sweldo ko mula sa programa ng
SPES para bumili ng mga gamit sa
iskwela at nakatulong din ito para
sa iba ko pang pangangailangan sa
‘Brigada Eskwela’ ushers school
season
CLEAN
classrooms,
well-
maintained learning tools, and
attractive landscaping inspire
students to go to school, study
hard and persevere to reach their
dreams.

In connection with this,
the Department of Education
(DepEd), tries its best to turn
these ideals into reality through
Brigada Eskwela, an annual
campaign
which
prepares
schools nationwide a few weeks
before the school year starts.
Tonisito
Umali,
Undersecretary for Legislative
Affairs, External Partnerships,
and
Project
Management
Service, told the Philippine
News Agency (PNA) that the
campaign was established in
2003 to address the resources
gaps faced by the agency through
strengthened partnerships with
the communities.

“In 2017 we have
expanded the concept of Brigada
Eskwela, besides to clean or
beautify our schools, we also
make sure they are safe and
prepared in time of disasters. We
also have activities during the
national maintenance week and
we expect to sustain it for the
whole year round,” Umali said.

Umali
added
the
campaign also focuses on
encouraging out of school
children and youth (OSCY) to
go back to school and finish their
studies.

“Not less than 78,000
OSYs, through the ALS and
regular schooling, already went
back to school. We wanted to
decrease our drop out rates
and make sure that all these
partnerships will have positive
impact on the learning outcomes
of our children,” he said.

Citing this year’s theme
“Matatag na Bayan para sa
Maunlad na Paaralan”, Umali
said the campaign reiterates
the importance of everybody’s
contibution in providing the
Filipino youth quality education.

“Hindi natin dapat iasa
lamang ito sa Kagawaran ng
Edukasyon kung hindi dapat
lahat tayo ay may pakialam sa
pagsisiguro na may dekalidad na
pasilidad para sa edukasyon ay
kolektibong responsilidad nating
lahat (Ensuring quality facilities
for education is a collective
responsibility of us all and we
shouldn’t rely on the Department
of Education for all these), he
added.

The initiative mobilizes
thousands of parents, alumni,
civic groups, local businesses,
non-government organizations,
teachers,
students,
and
individuals who volunteer their
time and skills to do repairs on
the school buildings and facilities
in time for school opening.

In
its
year
of
implementation, a total of 12,533
schools participated as against
the 4,000 expected school
participants.

In 2008, it has become a
permanent activity in the school
calendar where all schools
nationwide are now mandated
to implement the program every
second week of May.
Making better lives

Apart from instilling
school pride in the community,
the Brigada Eskwela campaign
provides an opportunity for
everyone to contribute in the
future of the Filipino youth and
in nation-building.

“We’re grateful to
DepEd for allowing us to give our
time, ourselves to make better
the lives of others and making a
positive difference through this
event,” Pilmico chief operating
officer Tristan Aboitiz told PNA.

Pilmico is the food
business unit of the Aboitiz
Group of Companies.

Aboitiz said he joined
the campaign in 2008, doing
“practically everything”.

“I’ve done painting
classrooms, painting tables,
and chairs, I’ve painted murals,
planted trees the only thing I
haven’t done is cover books.
This is the first time I brought my
oldest son, who is four years old,
here as it’s an opportunity to start
them young because painting is
something that even a child can
enjoy and over time he’d really
appreciate what it truly means,”
he said.

On Saturday, Aboitiz
employees, including those from
its corporate offices, helped the
teachers, students, and parents
with the different Brigada
Eskwela tasks at the Pateros
Elementary School.

They
engaged
in
armchair
painting,
book
covering, gardening and mural
painting.

Citing that 400 of their
employees have signed up for
the event, Aboitiz said that they
need not encourage them to take
part in a meaningful campaign.

“That’s the beautiful
thing about it, once we put it
pag-aaral,” Edison shared.

The SPES is DOLE’s
youth
employment-bridging
program which aims to provide
temporary employment to poor
but deserving students, out-of-
school youth, and dependents of
displaced or would-be displaced
workers during summer and/or
Christmas vacation or any time of
the year to augment the family’s
income to help ensure that
beneficiaries are able to pursue
their education.

While in college, Edison
demonstrated
a
significant
role and was in fact granted
a leadership award by the
University of Caloocan City
(UCC) after serving a three-year
term as class representative and
one-year term as president of the
Human Resource Development
Management
Students
Organization, one of the student
organizations in the university.

He now holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration major in Human
Resource
Development
and
Management and works at the
DOLE CAMANAVA Field Office
under the Government Internship
Program (GIP).

“Isa po sa mga natutunan
ko bilang SPES beneficiary
na nakatulong sa akin sa
pagiging student leader ay yung
pakikihalubilo sa iba’t-ibang uri
ng tao at ang pagtatrabaho ng may
sistema.” Edison said.

Asked about his future
plans, Edison said he wants to
pursue government service in
order to give back the support
given to him by the government.

“Taos puso po akong
nagpapasalamat sa oportunidad
na mapabilang sa mga programa
ng DOLE dahil ang aking mga
naging karanasan at kaalaman
dito ay magagamit ko sa aking
pagtatrabaho,” Edison ended.
(PIA InfoComm)
up in the calendar for the year,
people sign up automatically,”
he added.

Aboitiz said they have
helped improve a total of 411
schools across the Philippines,
making them more conducive to
learning for 218,661 students.

“Last year, the Pateros
Elementary School was awarded
as the second place Brigada
Eskwela Implementer. This was
made possible by our volunteers
who shared their time and efforts
last year,” he said.

With the aim to raise
his children as compassionate
and productive members of the
society, Aboitiz said he wanted
his eldest to see the true meaning
of Brigada Eskwela.

“It’s a bit difficult to
explain to a four-year-old child,
but you kind of instill the value
of responsibility and teamwork,
doing something as a group
which is promising for these
children who are our future,” he
added.

Meanwhile, Evangeline
Rosario said parents must
take part in Brigada Eskwela
activities.

“Para makatulong sa
school, para maging maaliwalas
sa school para hindi mababalisa
ang mga bata at mas mama- inspire sila mag-aral. Hindi
naman mahirap maglinis, kung
sama-sama kaming gumagawa,
mas magaan at mapapadali ang
trabaho (To help the school, to
make the school fresh so the
students wouldn’t be stressed
and they’ll be inspired to learn.
It’s not hard to clean up, if we do
it together, works becomes easier
and quicker),” she said.
Rosario’s
daughter,
Romelyn, is a grade 6 pupil at the
Pateros Elementary School. She
has been supporting the school’s
Brigada for six years now.
“Ang
anak
ko
tumutulong
din,
silang
magkaklase
pumupunta
sa
classroom nila, tapos naglilinis
sila doon (My child also helps
out, she and her classmates go to
their classroom, they clean it),”
she added.

While working on their
chosen tasks, Aboitiz encouraged
all the volunteers to keep in mind
the lasting impact of their deeds
on the learners’ lives.

“As we plant trees,
we contribute to a greener
environment. As we paint chairs
and cover books, we help future
nation builders achieve their
best, and as we paint murals, we
inspire them to imagine what is
possible and motivate them to
work their hardest,” he said.
Teachers, parents and volunteers from the conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. paint armchairs during the first
wave of “Brigada Eskwela” at the Pateros Elementary School on Saturday, 18 May 2019. Launched in 2003, “Brigada
Eskwela” mobilizes parents, alumni, civic groups, local businesses, non-government organizations, teachers, students,
and volunteers to help prepare and refurbish schools ahead of class opening in June. (PNA photo by Oliver Marquez)