Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea – A Compelling Trip Through Supply Lines amid the Regional Tension.
Filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama and her crew board a diverse assortment of sea craft to record the ongoing strife and its consequences between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China over control of the newly designated West Philippine Sea. This vast area, viewed by nearly everyone outside of China as within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, has seen escalating incursions by boats from China. While some are fishing boats, many are China's coast guard vessels that have engaged in harassing, collided with, and tried to seize Filipino boats in the context of the broader sovereignty dispute.
Certain scenes are undeniably tense, but frequently the conflict unfolds as a war of words of maritime bluster. Officers from opposing vessels deliver impassioned radio transmissions, peppered with technical legalese, practicing a unique "airwave diplomacy".
Resupply at the Front Lines
The documentary's name points to the vital operation by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to transport essentials to isolated garrisons in the West Philippine Sea where personnel are stationed for protracted periods of isolation. These outposts are often mere dollops of sand in the shallows, no larger than a football pitch, reachable solely via speeding rubber dinghies.
The voyages are undoubtedly scary for the young animals on board, which are crammed in with preserved supplies and further materials. The film shows the goats struggling for a stable position as the craft race across the choppy waves.
Voices from the Shoal
The film also follows local fishermen around the more populated Scarborough Shoal, who lament over reduced harvests caused by the ongoing activity of trawlers from China in their customary waters.
Fascinating Topic, Flawed Presentation
Critically speaking, the documentary is slightly weakened by a somewhat scattered narrative approach and a musical score that can feel overly tacky, overemphasizing the tense scenes. However, it stands as a important look of a critical subject that gets scant attention beyond Asia.
