DSWD needs 7,551 interns
By Juju Manubag-Empuerto
CEBU CITY, May 9 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) needs 7,551 interns for its expanded Government Internship Program (GIP) in Central Visayas.
According to DSWD-7 information officer Jaybee Binghay, the slots are open to unemployed students, and to college and vocational graduates who wish to work on summer jobs this year.
According to Binghay, the expanded GIP is part of President Benigno S.A. Aquino III’s efforts to strengthen the participation of youth in nation-building by exposing them to government service, training them on life’s skills, and contribute to their economic well-being.
Those who will qualify for the program will be assigned in the field offices, centers, institutions, and communities covered by the DSWD in the region, Binghay added.
Binghay explained that these interns will be asked to do direct service in local government units (LGUs) where the DSWD has partnership with and they will do office work as well as assist in the implementation of the many programs and projects of DSWD.
Interested applicants from the provinces of Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and Cebu, who are 18 to 30 years old can submit their application letter and biodata with a photocopy of their birth certificate to the DSWD, Field Office-7 at M.J.Cuenco Ave., Cebu City or call tel no. 2329505 or 2321192 for additional details. (mbcn/JSME-PIA 7, Cebu/)
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DSWD 7 links with private sector to generate jobs for beneficiaries
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, May 9 (PIA) -- Coordinators of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are exerting more efforts in linking with other government agencies and the private sector in order to provide jobs and other income opportunities for 4Ps beneficiaries.
Marhadzda Tudtud, DSWD coordinator, said they have successfully linked with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for employment and income opportunities for the poor recipients of the Pantawid Program.
“Last year, the DSWD and the DPWH have inked a Memorandum of Agreement for the latter to provide 20 percent of their total workforce in road maintenance and repair projects to be given to the Pantawid beneficiaries in a program titled, ‘Trabahong Lansangan,’” bared Tudtud.
Tudtud said 112 program beneficiaries in Central Visayas were hired by the DPWH in roadside projects and “we expect around 129 employment slots to be given by the DPWH in this year.”
Tudtud, however, said the hiring prioritizes Pantawid beneficiaries living within the areas where there are roadside projects.
Pantawid beneficiaries hired by the DPWH get to earn P250 per day good only for three months but can be rehired for another three months, disclosed Tudtud.
Likewise, “we have just recently partnered with the DOST to provide hydroponics training especially to Pantawid beneficiaries living in urban areas,” added Tudtud.
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil.
“In the absence of land to plant vegetables, hydroponics encourages the use of foams where plants can grow even with no soil,” said Tudtud.
The DSWD 7 Pantawid Program coordinator said seedlings like pechay, tomatoes, and ampalaya are given to Pantawid recipients undergoing the hydroponics training so they can start planting these vegetables. These vegetables can later be sold for added income.
“As a start, the DOST has provided training to 25 Pantawid beneficiaries in Cebu City. They, in turn, can teach other recipients on hydroponics as a means to earn sustainable income,” declared Tudtud.
Brigieda Goron, DSWD provincial link officer for Cebu province of the Pantawid Program on the other hand, said they are still trying to scout for private companies which could provide assistance to Pantawid recipients.
“We are continuously looking for private firms that could either hire Pantawid recipients do menial jobs in their companies or try to see what these companies need which the Pantawid recipients could provide such as supplying rugs,” Goron said. (PIA 7, Cebu)
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84 youths join Young Minds Academy
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU CITY May 7 (PIA) --- Eighty-four Cebuano youths scholars joined the 6th season of the Young Minds Academy (YMA) initiated by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc (RAFI) through its Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center in Cebu.
In a press release from RAFI, the YMA is a youth leadership and citizenship development program of RAFI-EADSC that aims to develop young leaders who are ready to serve the public and its interests.
RAFI-EADSC executive director Evelyn Nacario-Castro said that these 84 scholars representing 17 teams signed contracts to indicate their eagerness to fully participate in and finish the program.
According to Castro, the YMA is an eight-month program that includes leadership and character building, social awareness, creative and critical thinking activities, community visits and immersion, research and project development, project implementation and internship, and conference.
“The selection of these scholars was done in a thorough screening process,” Castro said.
It included intelligence quotient and personality tests, essay writing, team dynamics, and panel interviews before they were accepted in the program, Castro added.
RAFI President Roberto Aboitiz noted that this season's modules were anchored on the theme of urban development. “This is in line with the Mega Cebu vision and framework that RAFI is pursuing in collaboration with various stakeholders,” Aboitiz said.
The module was conducted by Selene Yu, a businesswoman and vassal in-charge of the Potter's Leadership Academy, who has been sharing the “S-Leadership” way of life to various groups and organizations in the Philippines and abroad over the past 11 years, this was learned.
EADSC director Evelyn Castro stated that formal training of the scholars started on March 30 with the YMA S-Leadership Seminar.
The module introduced the Nine Pillars of Character and Leadership of the YMA that serve as the guiding principles of the scholars throughout the YMA program and beyond, Castro added.
RAFI officials led by its president, Roberto Aboitiz, Deputy Director for Operations Amaya Aboitiz, and representatives from the Union Bank of the Philippines (YMA's program sponsor) attended the covenant signing and orientation that signaled the start of Young Minds Academy, Season 6.
For more information about YMA 6, please contact 418-7234 loc. 110 and look for Mel Yan, or email mel.yan@rafi.org.ph, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. (mbcn/AS-PIA 7, Cebu)