Kalayaan (Freedom), Hanapbuhay (Livelihood), and Pagsisibat (Persisting): A Conceptual Unpacking of Freelance Work in the Philippines

Authors

• Theresa Anne Nadine L. Rellamas, Ateneo de Manila University / University of Santo TomasFollow
• Danika M. Geronimo, University of Santo TomasFollow
• Hazel A. Lao, University of Santo TomasFollow

Abstract

This article is a conceptual but empirically grounded exploration of how Filipino freelance creatives construct and navigate freelance work. Using the sibat (spear) as a metaphor for movement and survival, the paper unpacks freelance work as hanapbuhay (livelihood) pursued in the quest for kalayaan (freedom). Building from emic narratives of sixteen (16) freelance creatives, the paper develops a conceptual model of freedom through three movements: Kalayaang Magsibat (freedom to enter), Kalayaan sa Pagsisibat (freedom to persist), and Kalayaang Sumibat (freedom to exit). These narratives of freelance work reveal a continual negotiation of autonomy under precarious conditions. Anchored and interpreted through Bourdieu’s theory of field, habitus, and capital, the study reframes freelance work not simply as an alternative working arrangement, but as a socially constructed identity shaped, performed, and legitimized through everyday discourse, symbolic meanings, and survival strategies under capitalist structures. Ultimately, freelance work is a state of continuous motion: a lifelong flight toward survival and enduring hope.

Recommended Citation

Rellamas, Theresa Anne Nadine L.; Geronimo, Danika M.; and Lao, Hazel A. (2025) "Kalayaan (Freedom), Hanapbuhay (Livelihood), and Pagsisibat (Persisting): A Conceptual Unpacking of Freelance Work in the Philippines," Social Transformations Journal of the Global South: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13185/2799-015X.1237
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/socialtransformations/vol13/iss2/5