It’s only a few days away before school starts, but the DSWD Field Office Eight is yet to begin the employment of in-school youths and out-of-school youths, who have garnered higher ratings, in last April’s screening for the Expanded Government Internship Program.

The problem, however, is that the slots were reduced from the original number of 7,634 to 1,298, DSWD Field Office Regional Director Leticia Diokno announced. She said, “we have to honor our commitment however late it may be. We cannot do otherwise because the Department was able to source funds, but for a limited number of 18, 860 slots nationwide,” Diokno further explained.

The following are the slots per province and city : Tacloban – 197; Ormoc – 75; Maasin – 20; Baybay – 4; Catbalogan – 20; Calbayog – 20; Borongan – 20; Leyte – 200; Southern Leyte – 80; Biliran -60; Eastern Samar – 180; Northern Samar; Samar – 180; Field Office – 34; and Centers – 8.

G.I.P. Focal Person, Ofelia Pagay, meanwhile disclosed that in-school youths will be given priority such that they will be hired for the first fifteen days, while the remaining of the total 52 working days will be continued by the out-of-school-youths. The G.I.P. intern will be paid Php 253.00 per day.

Pagay added that work starts, right after an orientation will take place. These are the dates of the orientation : Tacloban, Maasin, and Southern Leyte – June 4; Leyte, Ormoc, Baybay and Field Office Eight – May 29; Catbalogan, Calbayog, Samar and Centers– May 30; Borongan, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar – June 2; and Biliran – June 1.

PANTAWID PAMILYA Municipal Links and other DSWD field workers at the municipal and city levels will aid in the dissemination of the results and date of orientation in their localities.