Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) students' 2026 Cash-for-Work Program (CFWP) here ended Monday, benefiting 544 learners from the North Eastern Mindanao State University - San Miguel Campus in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur.

According to Philippines News Agency, over PHP4.1 million in stipends was released to the students who participated in the CFWP, which began on April 15. Of the total beneficiaries, 137 were recent college graduates, and 417 are currently enrolled at NEMSU-San Miguel Campus.

The program required participants to render up to 25 days of structured community service and developmental tasks. To ensure that undergraduate participants did not compromise their academic responsibilities, students worked a capped four-hour daily schedule, while college graduates rendered a full eight-hour workday. All participants were compensated based on actual services rendered, following the prevailing regional minimum wage rate of PHP455.00 per day.

The 544 students were deployed across different sections of the NEMSU-San Miguel Campus, the local government unit of San Miguel, and the DSWD-13 frontlines within the KALAHI-CIDSS and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Datu Rico Maca, the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of San Miguel, highlighted the positive impact of the collaboration among DSWD-13, NEMSU, and the LGU on students, especially those from Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities. He noted that around 60 percent of students at NEMSU-San Miguel Campus are IPs from the Manobo tribe.

Maca expressed gratitude for the financial support provided by the program, which aids IP students in their daily needs while attending classes. The CFWP has also connected IP students to initiatives like KALAHI-CIDSS and 4Ps, broadening their awareness of government social services.