By Wu Qiaoxi | 2025-07-14

China has stepped up efforts to shape the West Philippine Sea narrative, expanding beyond maritime confrontations to diplomatic attempts at silencing dissenting voices on the international stage.

A Philippine documentary chronicling the dangers faced by local fisherfolk and maritime personnel in the West Philippine Sea withstood political pressure from Beijing after China's consulate in New Zealand attempted to suppress its public screenings.

"Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea," directed by Baby Ruth Villarama, follows the Philippine coast guard and fishermen navigating disputed waters in the South China Sea, where Chinese aggression has long threatened their livelihoods and safety.

The film debuted on June 30 at the Doc Edge Festival in Auckland, but the Chinese consulate there quickly targeted it and asked the organizers to cancel further screenings, according to Rolling Stone Philippines in early July.

Doc Edge posted on its website the consulate's request, which called the documentary a "political tool."

The consulate repeatedly called members of the festival's ticketing staff and board, according to Doc Edge and film producers.

The South China Sea is a long-standing flashpoint between China and several Southeast Asian nations, particularly the Philippines. China claims about 90% of the sea under its so-called "nine-dash line," a maritime assertion invalidated by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016.

The West Philippine Sea -- Manila's term for its Exclusive Economic Zone in the contested area -- remains the site of frequent clashes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels that have seen water cannon attacks, ramming incidents and the destruction of fishing equipment.

Resisting Chinese pressure

In a sharply worded commentary, China's state-run CGTN called the documentary part of a disinformation campaign.

Despite this pressure, Doc Edge refused to cancel the film, stating it "stands by the festival's independence and curatorial freedom."

"Doc Edge has done what many are afraid to do," the film's producer, Chuck Gutierrez, told Rolling Stone Philippines. "They've created a platform where voices from around the world can be heard, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient the truth may be."

The documentary’s road to the screen has not been easy.

It was originally set to premiere in the Philippines as part of the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival in March, but the festival organizer abruptly withdrew it just two days before its scheduled showing.

The festival is backed by Puregold, a Filipino-Chinese conglomerate known for selling low-cost, bulk consumer goods, including products made in China.

The organizer cited "external factors" at the time but offered no further details.

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines likely applied pressure to the festival, Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines' Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, told The Economist.

The Directors' Guild of the Philippines, an association of local film directors, criticized the withdrawal, calling it "an alarming indication of how freedom of expression is being eroded in our society." It said the organizers had "chosen to suppress the truth," according to the Rappler in March.

The Center for Information Resilience and Integrity Studies condemned China's diplomatic pressure on the festival, calling it "an attempt to suppress credible storytelling," according to Inquirer.net.

'To be seen and heard'

Food Delivery documents the lives of Zambales-based fishermen and the Philippine navy as it carries out supply missions to outposts in the Spratly Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.

It includes scenes of fishermen searching for four missing peers, confronting growing poverty and braving Chinese maritime harassment.

One fisherman tells the camera in a quiet moment: "Meron talagang kinukuha dito na mga tao" ("These are the times when the sea takes people").

The film received an enthusiastic response at Doc Edge, where it won the Tides of Change Award on July 3.

"This award belongs to us -- to every Filipino," Villarama said. "Because like the sea, there is no greater will than the will to be seen and to be heard," as reported by Inquirer.net.

The Philippine government has since expressed support for the filmmakers.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año condemned China's efforts to halt the screenings in a July 8 statement, calling them "a blatant attempt to silence a powerful narrative that exposes the truth about the situation in the West Philippine Sea."

The Philippine military said it "stands firm" with the filmmakers of Food Delivery "in defending truth and sovereignty."