"This area, which is seen by just about everyone (apart from the People's Republic of China) as part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, has been increasingly infiltrated by Chinese boats, some of them fishing vessels but mostly Chinese coast guard vessels that have harassed, rammed and attempted to board Filipino boats as part of the dispute over sovereignty in the area."
"Some of the footage seen here is pretty tense, although mostly it's a game of bluster at sea, with officers on different vessels exchanging puffed-chest speeches peppered with legalese over short-wave radios. The film's title refers to the ongoing efforts by the Filipino army to deliver foodstuffs to some of the tiny islands in the WPS where soldiers hold the line, literally, for long lonely stretches."
"They are certainly scary for the poor baby goats, loaded along with canned food and other supplies that we see scrambling for better footholds as the boats go zooming across the waves. Elsewhere, we follow fishers living in the more populated Scarborough Shoal who complain they are catching less due to Chinese fishing boats in the area. In technical terms, this suffers a bit from a somewhat scattered narrative approach and a tacky musical score that overemphasises the emotional beats."
Director Baby Ruth Villarama and her crew board maritime vessels to document the clash between the Philippines and China over control of the West Philippine Sea, formerly part of the South China Sea. The area is portrayed as part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and increasingly infiltrated by Chinese boats, mainly coast guard vessels that have harassed, rammed and attempted to board Filipino boats. The film follows Philippine army efforts to deliver supplies to tiny sandbank islands and fishermen at Scarborough Shoal who say catches have fallen due to Chinese fishing boats. The narrative feels scattered and the musical score overemphasises emotion, but the subject remains compelling and underreported.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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