On October 21, freelance journalists from the Philippines’ National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila, launched the Filipino Freelance Journalists’ Guild (FFJ), the first organisation dedicated to the professional rights of freelance journalists in the Philippines. The FFJ’s launch represents the culmination of organising, research, and advocacy work led by the NUJP.
In response to the emergence of the ‘gig economy’ and growing casualisation in the Philippines’ media sector, the NUJP first launched a survey to determine the feasibility of a guild for freelance workers in 2021. Published in 2022, the research found that most freelancers are not given adequate compensation or professional protections, with just under 50% receiving less than the monthly minimum wage for their media work. Contract-less transactions or commissions have become a common practice.
The NUJP survey further found that an overwhelming majority of respondents could not rely on their media work to cover their expenses, with 96 per cent of freelancers needing to take on additional work. A majority were based in the NCR and worked for a multimedia or online outlet, struggling with work-related mental health issues, abuse, harassment, and legal attacks. Sexist, ageist and anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination were also recorded.
The IFJ has supported the NUJP under its Asia-Pacific Union To Union (UTU) program since 2019. The IFJ’s 2023-25 project, conducted with affiliates in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, will support the development of membership-informed national action plans, strengthening union capabilities and improving the labour and professional rights of media workers nationally.
Initially representing freelance journalists in Manila, the guild expressed its desire to expand to other regions across the Philippines in a press release, stating its intention to launch campaigns and programs to support both freelance and non-freelance media professionals alike.
The NUJP said: “While we face many of the same challenges, freelancers face issues that media workers in regular employment may be unaware of or take for granted. As more media workers go into freelance work, whether by choice or circumstance, it is even more important for them to be able to discuss their common issues and work together to address them. The NUJP is proud to have helped organize the guild and looks forward to supporting them and working with them towards a safer, more free and better-compensated media landscape.”
The IFJ said: “In a time where professional rights for journalists are under constant threat, the launch of the FFJ is a welcome announcement. The IFJ congratulates the guild’s members, leadership and the NUJP for this historic and welcomed demonstration of solidarity.”