Marikina Hires 206 Volunteers as Street Cleaners

The city government of Marikina hired 206 street cleaning volunteers as project-based employees of the City Environmental Management Office (CEMO) this year.

Marikina Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro said this move gives these volunteers a chance to make a decent living, noting that most of them have been volunteers since previous administrations.

“We really worked it out to have budget for their employment, so that they can earn money, and not only allowance,” Teodoro said in a statement on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Teodoro met with the 31 volunteers to tell them about the good news and sign their contracts to make them CEMO employees tasked to ensure the cleanliness of the city.

The 31 volunteers thought they were just attending a meeting with Teodoro at the CEMO conference room but they were surprised when the mayor announced that they will be given a salary and not just an allowance.

Most of the volunteers have been working since 2005 or for the past 14 years, rendering four hours of community work every day and receiving a PHP150 daily allowance.

“Before, it’s only four hours of volunteer work. We will make it regular eight hours duty so we can give them minimum wage. In the past, it’s only around PHP4,000 allowance a month. It’s only for fares and snacks so we worked hard so we can re-hire them,” Teodoro said.

Prior to their employment, they will undergo a skills test to assess their capabilities.

“The new policy in hiring employees is to test their skills. They will undergo a skills test. Also, they need to express their love. They need to write a letter where they will say why they love Marikina and what can they do to help the city,” he said.

The employees, the mayor said, will undergo financial literacy seminars for them to effectively handle their finances.

“We will teach them how to manage their finances. It’s useless if you have a lot of money but you are not able to handle it properly. It will go to waste,” the local chief executive said.

Teodoro thanked the volunteers for making Marikina clean, saying they are the city’s heroes who do not just sweep but also remove unwanted posted bills and other eyesores. (PNA)