Marcoleta ‘no such thing’ remark spurred West PH Sea docu — filmmaker

WATERY DELIVERY Still pictures from the documentary “Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea” by Baby Ruth Villarama show Filipino fishermen trying to eke out a living in the West Philippine Sea amid the maritime dispute between the Philippines and China. The 82-minute film won the Tides of Change Award of the Doc Edge Film Festival in New Zealand despite Beijing’s efforts to stop its screenings.

MANILA, Philippines —  The desire to create a documentary featuring Filipino fishermen and Philippine authorities dealing with the tensions in the West Philippine Sea was sparked by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s remark that “there’s no such thing as the WPS,” according to filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama.

Villarama, who directed “Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea”, said she was “personally struck” by Marcoleta’s pronouncement, which helped her “instigate her curiosity” and ask herself whether the West Philippine Sea is real or not.

“Our only goal while making this film was—I was personally struck by a comment by one of our officials, Sen. Marcoleta, when he pronounced that the WPS does not exist and is just a figment of our imagination,” the filmmaker said in a mix of English and Filipino after the free screening of her documentary Food Delivery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

READ: Tarriela slams Marcoleta over West Philippine Sea remarks

“We decided to go or to follow in that premise of his,” she added.

Villarama said that the Food Delivery documentary indeed brought an image to the West Philippine Sea and proved that it actually exists.

“And it turns out that it is very close to our stomachs. The fresh tuna that we enjoy in hotels and restaurants are usually delivered to our markets and different restaurants,” she pointed out.

READ: Experts refute Marcoleta: ‘West Philippine Sea is real’

In February this year, Marcoleta—who at that time was still a senatorial candidate and the Sagip party-list representative—received public backlash after his controversial remark on the West Philippine Sea.

Tensions even rose between him and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela during a House hearing on February 18 due to the controversial statement.

According to Marcoleta, a certain “commodore” called him a “traitor” without looking into the context of his statement, which he said only meant that the West Philippine Sea is not visible on maps.

Responding to this, Tarriela clarified that he did not call Marcoleta a traitor and was only referring to President Ferdinand Marcos’ statement that “the West Philippine Sea is not a fabric of our imagination. It is ours. It will continue to be ours as long as our spirit continues to burn for our beloved country.”

READ: China hit for trying to block West Philippine Sea documentary

Based on his post on X, Tarriela only said: “Hearing someone claim that the ‘West Philippine Sea’ is merely a fabrication of the Philippine government is a disservice and an embarrassment to their entire party, the organization they belong to, and even their own family.”

“How can one face the younger generations today and tell them that our Exclusive Economic Zone to the west of our archipelago is nonexistent, effectively giving up the fight to assert their rights as Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea?” his statement further reads.

Food Delivery is an 82-minute documentary that follows the different points of view of Filipino fisherfolk and soldiers in the West Philippine Sea. It also showcased isolated posts of Filipino soldiers in the region, such as the one on Lawak Island.

The documentary is one of 287 films granted exhibition permits by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board in the first half of 2025.

The film received a PG (Parental Guidance) rating—meaning it is suitable for viewers aged 13 and below, provided they are accompanied by an adult. /dl