Researcher Needed

Pay: PHP 15,000 upon completion of research

Requirements:

• • Excellent English skills 

  • Strong analytical abilities

  • University degree in history, literature, or other applicable fields

  • Proficiency in online databases and library resources

  • Excellent organization

  • Attention to detail

  • Ability to verify facts

  • Ability to identify credible sources

Here is an outline of the topics and methods Ressa uses*. Proficiency in at least some of these topics is necessary. Note in your cover letter if you have any specific knowledge surrounding these topics. 

• • First, Cura delves into the various limitations imposed by the Spanish monarchy and church regarding the entry and publication of books in the colonies, laying the foundation for how suppression was justified and continued throughout Philippine history. 

  • Countering this, she takes us on a journey through the eyes of Acisclo Sierra, the founder of El Pasig, the first publication to feature texts in native Philippine languages. Here, she shows us the blossoming of the revolutionary spirit and national identity. 

  • Then, through lyrical poetry, Cura discusses the Comisión Permanente de la Censura, a colonial body created to prevent the spread of reformist and revolutionary writings, and the resistance from José Rizal through the foundation of La Solidaridad. 

  • From poetry formed from the sedition laws imposed during the Martial Law period, Cura moves into discussing “mosquito presses” and the presses that were shut down. In one haunting poem, she moves through the memories of each press shut down

  • Moving into today, Cura shows modern forms of resistance like publishing “Banned” or controversial topics, digital distribution, and community-based printing through a deep analysis of presses like the University of the Philippines Press and Anvil Publishing.

  • Last, she takes us on a personal journey through her own political resistance through Gantala Press, a feminist publishing press committed to political activism. She discusses the history of female printing in the Philippines, in and of itself radical against the regime, starting with the first Pampanga native to ever produce a book, Luisa Gonzaga de Leon. Then, she discusses some of the activism she partakes in today, like donating a substantial percentage of the revenue her presses bring in to causes like contributing to the needs of internally-displaced persons, children of peasants, or women's peasant groups. 

  • Overall, the book tackles issues of nationalism, identity, resistance, and fatigue through inventive literary structure, reflecting the bustling literary scene in the Philippines today, honoring a small but mighty aspect of the national fight. 

• Email mressa@gmail.com with CV and cover letter

*Maria Ressa's name was used to honor her contribution to the resistance movement. Nobel Peace Prize winner, she is a champion of press freedom, specifically for the founding of press website Rappler, a website focused on exposing corruption of the Philippine government.