People know me as “raketerang” Alina. Raketera is a Filipino term that means a female professional who juggles multiple jobs. Raketera might have its negative implications, as in the breathless hustling for money, or doing anything to make money. But I’ve always taken it as a compliment.

Since I resigned from my last fulltime job in 2014, where I stayed for only one year and four months, I’ve worked as a freelancer, writing scripts and copies, producing and directing videos, providing voice over to different kinds of videos, organizing events, helping people organize events, acting as VO and emcee in weddings and birthdays, anything and everything that falls under my communication skillset and expertise.

Being raketera means always being busy, and I’ve always worn that busy badge with pride. Cue in the pandemic. On March 15, the lockdown or community quarantine was imposed by the government in Metro, Manila Philippines. Suddenly, from being a busy raketera, I found myself doing nothing. All my projects were cancelled, some of my talent fees held back. Suddenly, I found myself stuck at home, with no income. Just myself and a foreboding future.

I am just among so many freelancers, non-essentials workers, live events and production crew, and retrenched employees, who felt the chilling effects of a pandemic of this magnitude.

Two weeks into the lockdown, I even started to question my career path. One: why did I choose Communication in college if I couldn’t use this during a world crisis? Two: there’s not a worse time than now to be freelance, which paled in comparison to having the security of a regular job.

Doubt, fear, insecurity over my future, mixed in with the horror of the virus, permeated my life the first weeks of the lockdown.  I was paralyzed, I was confused. The world was crumbling down and I couldn’t do anything but watch it from the four corners of the TV and my smartphone.

Turn around

Soon, I picked myself up and declared a war against this damn pandemic. After donating money and supplies to front-liners and other charity organizations, I rolled up my sleeves and started handing out my resume and looking for jobs online.

I asked myself, what could I do with my skills online? Of course, there was writing, but most of the jobs I found were paying peanuts (at 50 cents PHP per word, which was pretty steep). I also looked for possible clients that needed some animated videos done. I must have sent around ten cost estimates to potential clients, but most of their businesses were reeling from the pandemic’s onslaught as well. Budgets were cut down.

Then, just last week, I got a job offer to be a social media manager, despite not having any experience! It was mind-blowing, a risk that the founder/owner gambled on. But she won’t regret it, because I’m going to slay the job.

Looking back, it’s also my freelancing-acquired attitude of courage and boldness that helped me bounce back. Out of my league or comfort zone? No problem. How many times have I found myself in situations where I don’t know what to do, or who I’m going to work with, or what will happen during an event or a shoot? As freelancers, we thrive in uncertainty.  We figure things out, we make things happen. That’s also part of being a producer, being resourceful, being “madiskarte”, and just standing on my own two feet.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t freelanced for so many years. Of course, I am still scared, of the virus and what the future would bring, but at least I have a job. A job that ensures me of a living, a means to buy essentials, to pay bills, to take care of our health, mine and my family’s.

Tomorrow

It’s not only the pandemic that has caused a climate of uncertainty. At least in the broadcasting and creative industry, which I am a part of, companies have either closed down or are in danger of closing down. This means loss of jobs, loss of income, with hundreds, if not thousands of families, affected.

For us in the TV and video production, we’re facing a bleak future, where most of us can’t do our jobs from home, where social distancing would be very difficult and costly. I could only imagine how people are feeling right now, the mental and emotional toll. If you have friends in this industry, please check up on them, ask them how they are, and show them your support.

Most of us are just living day to day, and that’s not so bad. Sometimes just making it until the next day is what will help us go through bad times. And for those of us who could, stand up and re-strategize your job opportunities, adapt, survive. We have mad skills and these skills can take us to places we haven’t explored before. Yes, I am raketerang Alina, and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

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Connected Women is excited to be working on projects that will help bring income generation opportunities to members in our wider community this year. Are you Interested in these and future opportunities?

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