West Philippine Sea documentary withdraws from 2025 CinePanalo Film Festival as 'external factors played'
A documentary about the West Philippine Sea was withdrawn from the CinePanalo Film Festival just two days before the event.
"We regret to confirm that Food Delivery, Fresh from the West Philippine Sea has been pulled out from the CinePanalo Festival," its creator Baby Ruth Villarama and CinePanalo festival director Chris Cahilig said in a joint statement on March 12.
They explained that the decision was "made jointly by the festival organizers and film creators, it is clear that external factors played a role in this outcome."
"We appreciate the continued support from those who believe in the film’s importance," they said, adding that alternative screenings will be announced soon.
In a separate Facebook post, Villarama apologized to viewers who have since expressed interest in the documentary.
"I am truly sorry that this is happening just before our gala screening," she said. "But this film—our tribute to the struggles of Filipino fishermen and soldiers in the West Philippine Sea—will find its audience. Their stories deserve to reach you."
According to its logline, Food Delivery "captures the valiant efforts of the Filipino fishermen, Coast Guard and Navy to deliver desperately needed food to communities, all while defending their livelihoods and national sovereignty in the contested West Philippine Sea."
"Each catch and mission becomes a powerful testament to resilience, unity, and pride," it also read.
With the withdrawal of Food Delivery, the only documentary in this year's lineup, the 2025 CinePanalo Film Festival's lineup consists of Olsen's Day, Journeyman, Sepak Takraw, Co-Love, Fleeting, Salum, and Tigkiliwi.
In its teaser video uploaded in February, the documentary gave a glimpse of the different schools of fish underwater, as well as a Filipino fisherman waving the Philippine flag.
There was also a wide shot of a small boat adjacent to a significantly bigger one.
The West Philippine Sea has an island called the Scarborough Shoal, a fish-rich reef 240 kilometers west of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass.
China claims almost the entire sea, brushing off rival claims by the Philippines and other countries and ignoring the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling that its "nine-dash line" claim has no legal basis.
To press its claims, Beijing deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waterway. It also turned several reefs into militarized artificial islands.
CinePanalo entries were produced by Puregold, a supermarket brand that's part of the Puregold Price Club owned by the Chinese-Filipino Co business family. It's one of the country's richest families, with the company leaders Lucio and Susan Co having a net worth of $2.3 billion in 2024, according to Forbes Magazine.
The CinePanalo festival will run from March 14 to 25 at the Gateway Cineplex 18 in Cubao in Quezon City. Regular tickets cost P250. Students, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens, as well as the store's Tindahan ni Aling Puring and Perks Card members may get discounted tickets for P200. A Puregold CinePanalo Festival Pass, meanwhile, allows access to all entries for P2,000.
PhilSTAR L!fe reached out to Villarama and Puregold for additional comment but they have yet to reply.
