Exploring Filipino Creative Labor

Attempting to document the economic realities, experiences of precarity, and structural gaps of freelance creative workers across the Philippines.

Ongoing Studies

Our ongoing initiatives isolate key structural pain points to establish baseline metrics for independent cultural labor.

Track 01

Track 02

Track 03

Payment Terms & Delays

Social Safety Nets

Collective Organizing

Tracking average payment cycles, outstanding invoices, and the prevalence of uncompensated labor among independent creative professionals.

Assessing freelancer access to healthcare, retirement planning, and emergency credit systems within the local creative economy.

Documenting peer-led advocacy groups, guild structures, and informal mutual aid networks supporting cultural workers.

Our projects

ROSE O LIMOS? CATEGORIZING ONLINE BEGGING ON TIKTOK LIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES

This paper delves into the emergence of online begging, particularly on TikTok Live in the Philippines. The study presents a qualitative analysis of online begging activities on the platform, highlighting the content themes used in online begging and the unique characteristics that separate them from traditional begging. Drawing from the theory of Media Ecology, which examines how communication media shapes human perception, understanding, emotions, and values. The study divided online begging in the Philippines into several content themes: (a) Non-Playable Character (NPC)/AI; (b) Performance; (c) Engaging in Conversation; (d) Displaying skills; (e) Featuring PWDs or sick individuals; (f) Self-harming; (g) Versus mode; and (h) Displaying animals. Like traditional begging, online begging on TikTok Live in the Philippines is primarily driven by financial difficulties and the need to satisfy basic needs like food, shelter, and healthcare. However, the platform introduces new dynamics and potential ethical considerations that warrant further exploration.

Marvin Rellamas and Theresa Anne Nadine Rellamas

Presented to the 2024 Philippine Sociological Society International Conference on Cctober 2-4, 2024 at Caraga State University (download book of abstracts here)

MALAYANG HANAPBUHAY: EXPLORING THE SOCIOLOGY OF FREELANCE WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES

Theresa Anne Nadine Rellamas

The study aims to understand better the intricate wold of creative freelancing in the Philippines, emphasizing the conflict between precarity and freedom within this expanding industry. This research is necessary for us to comprehend the motivations, experiences, and challenges faced by creative freelance workers in the Philippines as the freelance economy grows, especially in creative industries like the arts, media, and design as creative freelance workers face unique difficulties in building their reputations and securing financial stability without the support of traditional employment. This study investigates how creative freelancers manage their work settings, balancing the need for creative autonomy and the realities of unpredictable income and a lack of social safeguards and benefits. Utilizing Pierre Bourdieu's concept of Habitus, the research will examine the social, economic, symbolic, and cultural factors that influence freelancers' decision-making and career trajectories. This study aims to offer nuanced insights into the lived experiences of creative freelancers through quantitative content analysis and qualitative methodologies, such as participant observations and interviews. In the end, it hopes to inform public policy and contribute to a more nuanced global discourse on freelance work, especially from the perspective of the Global South.

Presented to the 2024 Philippine Sociological Society International Conference on Cctober 2-4, 2024 at Caraga State University (download book of abstracts here)
Ongoing dissertation project

Download Research Briefs

Policy Advocacy

Advocating for Structural Protections

We present our empirical findings directly to legislators, cultural institutions, and labor organizers to secure fair contracts and institutional safety nets.

Academic Paper

Policy Brief

Precarity in Manila's Design Sectors

Institutionalizing Creative Safety Nets

Presented at the Philippine Cultural Studies Conference, this paper maps the structural vulnerability of independent graphic designers.

A direct legislative proposal outlining mandatory contract templates and payment enforcement mechanisms for freelance cultural workers.