A growing number of Filipino professionals are cashing in on freelancing either for full-time work or to earn extra income.
With its long list of positives including flexibility and more opportunities to earn higher compared to regular jobs, reports show that the local gig economy has been rapidly growing in the past few years as it has become an increasingly attractive career track both for barely starting fresh graduates and more experienced workers.
In a report on the Philippine freelance market published in 2022, it was revealed that over 1.5 million Filipinos are engaged in freelancing platforms, 60 percent of these are taking up traditional freelance work, while 35 percent are freelance content creators.
Among this rising population is Roel Pepito, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, who earns a living from full-time freelancing as a bookkeeper and accountant.
At the time of the pandemic, from his previous job as a full-time, office-based employee, Roel took the gig route to seek more opportunities in the booming freelancing economy, intending to work without needing to travel to a worksite and save on transportation costs.
Changing his working status entailed a major shift in Roel’s working set-up. It imposed a remote work arrangement where he can take his workplace anywhere and the tools he uses are in the form of software and online applications.
He has to connect with clients far away, access documents online, and attend meetings via virtual rooms. Sooner, he realized that a quality and consistent connection was needed, especially in his line of work.
“I am staying here at home and my clients are far away, so it’s necessary that I have internet connectivity that I can depend on,” he said.
Roel looked for internet solutions he could sign up to, to address his online working needs but with the absence of readily accessible fixed-line connectivity in their area, he had to resort to wireless internet products which was not his best option in terms of security, speed, and reliability.
Then, BIDA Fiber powered by Converge came to his aid, offering a more seamless internet connection at a price that he could easily afford at P888 per month.
The said fiber internet solution delivers high-speed and reliable connectivity at 35 Mbps, connecting a maximum of six devices. This is more than enough for Roel’s four-member
household, giving them one more slot to spare even when all five of their devices are connected simultaneously.
“It’s more affordable compared to other internet solutions. It’s fast and it’s reliable too. I use Messenger calls for work as well as Microsoft Teams. It’s good, I don’t experience any interruptions,” Roel noted.
After his busy day at work, BIDA Fiber also offers him an avenue to de-stress through a range of content and shows available on the internet. For Roel, it is necessary to stay up-to-date with current events and to gain new knowledge through informative shows.
“Because of the internet, I stay informed about the popular figures in sports, as well as the winning teams. On Netflix, I like watching new shows from different genres and categories. I also like watching documentaries to gain knowledge from them,” he concluded.
As predicted that freelancing is here to stay, BIDA Fiber is truly a timely and much-needed solution for freelancers to succeed in what they do.
Providing a budget-friendly, fast, and stable internet foundation, BIDA offers promising prospects to freelancers as it supports their need for a high-speed internet connection and in turn, usher in new frontiers for the local gig economy.
