Online processing of students holding summer jobs goes in Soccsksargen

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The Department of Labor and Employment’s regional office in Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) is now using the Internet to process documents and even part of the salaries of students holding summer jobs in the government under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), officials said Wednesday.

Ofelia Domingo, Dole regional director, said in a press statement that use of this new technology was in response to an alarming report by the Commission on Audit about numerous unclaimed SPES checks and the perennial problem of delays in the release of the SPES beneficiaries’ wages.

The SPES is project that caters to students who work for local government units during summer vacations. The Dole pays 40 percent of the students’ salaries.

“We have to conceptualize a Web-based system that will fast-track the registration of student-beneficiaries down to the payment of the Dole 40 percent counterpart,” she said.

She said the system will increase transparency in transactions, and enhance collaboration between and among SPES stakeholders.

Domingo said the online SPES processing is the first among several systems developed by Dole as it ventures into paperless transactions.

During the launching last month, Aurelio Ebita, Dole’s consultant, presented the system to the region’s local chief executives.

Among the features are an online registration, online query, report generation, real-time monitoring of SPES beneficiaries and downloadable forms.

“The online SPES processing is a follow-through system to the Internet-based quality management system of Dole 12 and more importantly, it aims to fast-track the payment of 40 percent Dole counterpart through MLhuiller, a money remittance/transfer service company,” Ebita said.

The Dole regional office has already forged a memorandum of agreement with MLhuillier in response to Secretary Teresita Baldoz’s order to fast-track the payment of the 40 percent counterpart.

South Cotabato Board Member Ellen Grace Subere-Albios, who attended the launching, lauded Dole for coming up with the innovation.

“The employment of Internet-based technology by Dole in its operations will fast-track the implementation of its various programs and give opportunity to our constituents and stakeholders to get a better and steady hold of the services they can avail of just at the tip of their fingers,” Albios said.

The Soccsksargen region is composed of the provinces of North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Saranggani and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal and General Santos.

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