Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Freelance Writers Guild of the Philippines' Founder Imelda Morales

It started as a survey, she shares.

“A client was paying me a dismal rate for writing feature stories that included trips to high-risk places in the South. I asked a good number of writer friends for the going rate, in the absence of a standard pay scale.

What I discovered from that survey prompted me to form FWGP , together with a band of volunteers (all of them strangers then) who responded to my call. I guess it became big because apparently, the `injustices' are a general experience. It cuts across all fields: magazine writing, advertising copywriting, online writing, book authorship, et cetera. Parties that oppress freelance writers--and I have no qualms about using such a strong word because I can prove it--have been having a field day for, what, 20 or so years! Just think about it,“ she says, “where can you find an industry that for more than two decades has not increased basic pay for its main workers? Jeepney drivers and taxi drivers have experienced several rate increases over that period, but the freelance writer is still being paid P500 per article by some publications, sometimes even lower than that, especially for online writing. If this isn't oppression then I don't know what is.“

Check the article here:

http://mb.pressmart.com/manilabulletin/publications/ManilaBulletin/MB/2012/06/04/articlehtmls/The-Indies-04062012124003.shtml

The quotation came from the full article that was written by Mitzi Duque-Ruiz.

7 comments:

  1. My name is Frederick Fontanilla Jacob and I would like to ask how can be a member of your guild?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello, kindly check the FB page of FWGP. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Somebody in the guild willing to help me write the script of the true story i wrote for the movies? I have no money to pay you but willing to give big commision upon the success of the story if it becomes a movie. Cp# 09068579596 / Email add; mbayana@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm Silvestre Quizona Jr. Nais kong maging miyemro sa guild ninyo, itanong ko lang kung paano.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,

    I am currently doing a thesis on copyright and I am wondering who i can interview or email about the book industry as well as the authors' sentiments about copyright.

    I learned from the IPO and courts that there are so many few copyright cases despite the prevalence of piracy and infringement. If there are cases, usually they end up being settled because the authors ask for minimal compensation.

    In this light, I would like to understand the authors/publishers' perspective on copyright. Which do they value more? economic or moral rights?

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would like to join too but how?

    ReplyDelete