#CourageON: One-woman team

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At the core of my work is sourcing support to keep our community building initiatives alive.

I was in college in 2019 when I realized what it actually means to stand up against those who silence dissent. 

For Maria Ressa, it meant speaking to an audience of first-time voters just hours after posting bail, and telling them that we need to continue speaking out, even if it means going against the powerful. 

THE GOOD DAYS. My college political party, Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista, hosted an elections forum with surprise keynote speaker Maria Ressa on March 29, 2019. I’m the one on the left.

That experience stuck with me. I would soon launch my student government’s anti-red-tagging tool kit through Rappler’s #CourageON show. The tool kit was meant to help other universities develop mechanisms that would protect their students from political harassment, especially at the height of the implementation of the Anti-Terror Law. 

BIG DAY. On behalf of DLSU’s University Student Government, I launched our anti-redtagging policy toolkit through Rappler’s #CourageON show last September 16, 2021. 

Inspired by these experiences, I joined Rappler’s Community team as a grants and partnerships specialist — three months before Filipinos elected as president the son of a dictator. It was a time when we were figuring out how we would survive the age of disinformation and AI. 

At the core of my work is sourcing support to keep our community building initiatives alive. From media literacy workshops to fellowship programs for community and student journalists, our programs help people navigate a world that has turned for the worse. By building long-lasting partnerships with like-minded local and international organizations, I do my part in helping journalism survive. 

In my first three months, I found myself writing and pitching grant proposals in the morning and even leading briefings for anti-disinformation coalition #FactsFirstPH in the afternoon. I was a one-person team, but I took comfort in knowing that the entire newsroom had my back.

Soon enough, I would lead my very first week-long training on covering human trafficking stories  for Southeast Asian journalists. It was my “baptism-by-fire” moment since I was in charge of handling the logistics and ensuring that the program ran smoothly and on time. It was also during this event when I learned the value in asking others for help. 

GRADUATION DAY. 30 journalists from Southeast Asia successfully finish our training program on investigative reporting, in partnership with JournalismFund.eu.

By the end of 2023, I led my very first year-end briefing on how we can collectively prepare for the threat of AI in the coming years. Members of the diplomatic community, including the ambassadors of the United States and the Netherlands, and Senator Risa Hontiveros graced the event. It was a nerve-wracking day for me, since it was my first time hosting so many diplomats in one place. 

But then again, that was the goal: to show our new friends from the diplomatic community what Rappler can do. 

WHAT WE CAN DO. Receiving a token from the US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson for a successful event. 

Writing this three years later helped me realize the impact of the work I’ve done beyond meeting targets. I now see aspiring journalists, whom we’ve trained through our media literacy and journalism roadshows, contributing stories about their local communities. 

Our partners, who have been with us through thick and thin, help us engage with young people, who dream of fighting for press freedom and journalism’s survival the same way I did all those years ago. 

And so please allow me this opportunity to once again ask for your help so we can continue doing what we do best: build communities of action.

I ask you to join Rappler +.

Beyond getting access to our exclusive stories and invite-only events, your support goes to our team of dedicated journalists who fight tooth and nail to cover the most pressing issues of our time. 

ENVIRONMENT TEAM IN ACTION. Rappler’s Jee Geronimo and Iya Gozum covering the mangrove rehabilitation efforts of a local government in Negros Occidental through the support of a partner institution.

By joining Rappler +, your support helps us mount workshops for aspiring journalists in the regions, who dream of covering their communities’ issues — from local elections to livelihood woes.

ALL SMILES. Our fourth batch of fellows after completing their on-ground training in September 2024. 

MOVERS FOR FACTS IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY. Several youth leaders joined Rappler’s week-long training on media literacy in partnership with Deutsche Welle Akademie.

Your support helps us create spaces for learning and knowledge sharing, such as our Rappler+ briefings and book events. 

HEAVY DAY. I led logistical preparations for Patricia Evangelista’s “Some People Need Killing” book talk at the Rappler office. 

Your support can simply help us continue the honest work that we do. 

I hope to see you in our next event!