On National Heroes’ Day, August 25, government officials and civic groups gathered at Gateway Mall in Quezon City to watch Alon ng Kabayanihan, a short film — and, in director Kevin Mayuga’s words, a public service announcement — about the West Philippine Sea.
The short starts with vignettes following a fisherman (Sid Lucero), his brother in the Navy (Carlo Aquino), and another military officer (Ryza Cenon), who have all dedicated their lives to staking the Philippines’ claim over the disputed waters. The film shows Lucero and Aquino’s characters, raised by their fisherman father, in the midst of a family disagreement as well, but because of the project’s trailer-like format, it’s unclear what this conflict is about. The actors then break the fourth wall to directly address the viewers, reminding them, “West Philippine Sea, atin ‘to.”
The film was produced by Center for Information Resilience and Integrity Studies (CIRIS), which was also involved in the release of the documentary Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea. Joining CIRIS in production were Hot and Fresh Creative Productions, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Guests at the screening included CIRIS Executive Director Michel Andre P. del Rosario, PCG Commanding Officer Jomark Angue, Philippine Navy Major Roy Trinidad, Philippine Army Major Bala Tamayo, and fishermen Virgilio, Jeric, and Jonathan Bueno. Alongside the film’s stars, the Buenos also portrayed fisherfolk.
In the talkback moderated by actor and army reservist Matteo Guidicelli, the cast, alongside Mayuga and Del Rosario, mused over expanding the project into a feature film or an eight-part digital series. Del Rosario said he hoped more people would talk about Alon ng Kabayanihan to garner funding for a bigger project.
Beyond a future project, Mayuga encouraged the audiences to talk about the short film to raise awareness about the struggles of the fisherfolk, the coast guard, and the military in the West Philippine Sea. “Talk about this with your friends, classmates, families, colleagues, all your fellow Filipinos,” he said. “Regardless of political preferences, you need to talk about this — because this is not a political issue, this is a ‘Filipino’ issue.”
