Summer Jobs at VECO

Instead of frolicking in the beach this summer, 18-year-old Olive Jommy Perez opted to dedicate her time to work.

Olive says this is one way for her to help her parents. By working, she explains, she can save up money for allowance when she goes back to school this coming June.

Olive is just one of the many summer jobbers under the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) at the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) this school break.

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(It is also nice for me to have this kind of work experience. I also learned a lot),” she adds.

Olive is currently assigned at the Utility Economics Department of VECO. She is already on her fourth year at the Cebu Normal University (CNU) but this is her first time as a summer jobber.

“Applicants like Olive are usually endorsed by the Provincial Employment Services Office (PESO) of the Cebu Provincial Government,” says VECO Human Resources Department specialist Melanie Rose Yap-Pagador.

Most of them, she adds, are from low-income families in the towns and cities of Cebu province.

Just like applying for a regular job, the summer jobbers undergo a written exam and a personal interview. When accepted, they will have the opportunity to learn from the regular employees of VECO. This will prepare them for their actual work in the future.

However, out of the 25 to 30 students endorsed by PESO, only 15 are usually hired by VECO.

According to Pagador, having summer jobbers around help lighten their workload.

"For us organic employees, we can now prioritize the heavier work. They are really a big help especially on filing," she says.

“Aside from this program, VECO also supports student scholars all-year-round,” VECO Reputation Enhancement Head Atty. Owlette Jill Verallo adds.

VECO is the second largest private electric utility in the Philippines.