New movie about the West Philippine Sea features sacrifices of Marines

The upcoming military drama “Ang Mamatay Nang Dahil Sa’yo” is set to bring the sacrifices of Filipino soldiers in the West Philippine Sea to the big screen, with its story centering on four Philippine Marines stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.

The film’s cast and filmmakers were officially introduced during a press conference in Quezon City on Friday, July 31, where the project was described as a timely tribute to the country’s servicemen guarding the Philippine territory.

Leading the cast is McCoy De Leon who will be playing David Delgado, alongside Mon Confiado as Diego Jacinto, Arron Villaflor as Melvin Lazam, Polo Laurel as Jerome Chavez and Gold Aceron as Anday Flores.

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“Ang Mamatay Nang Dahil Sa’yo” follows four Philippine Marines assigned to the BRP Sierra Madre, the country’s farthest military outpost in the West Philippine Sea.

Isolated from their families, the soldiers spend six months repairing the aging ship, standing watch over contested waters and confronting both external threats and personal struggles.

“The title of our movie is ‘Ang Mamatay Nang Dahil Sa’yo.’ It’s an inspirational, character-driven military thriller set in the West Philippine Sea,” said director and producer Philip King, adding that the issue was recently highlighted during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address.

King said the concept was developed together with fellow director and producer Ceasar Soriano.

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Soriano, a former journalist, said the film was inspired by the sacrifices of Filipino soldiers stationed in the disputed waters amid continuing tensions in the area.

“We want to really show the great sacrifices of our soldiers guarding our islands… We want to promote patriotism among our young people because the message of this movie is for the next generation,” he said.

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Asked if the film will portray China as the bad guys, Soriano underscored that their main objective is to tell the story of Filipino servicemen, not to trigger war.

“We don’t want war. Our government’s policy is that we have to be friends with everyone. But this is something that we have to understand. May nangyayari. We cannot just keep quiet. Our objective is to let people understand what’s going on there. And our soldiers’ sacrifices. That’s it,” he said.

Soriano also does not want to think of the possibility that the film might face censorship amid sensitive nature of the movie’s theme. Last year, “Food Delivery,” a movie about the West Philippine Sea by Baby Ruth Villarama, was pulled from the CinePanalo Film Festival.

“I don’t really think negative. Lahat po ng pelikula ko na nagawa in the past, palagi lang sinasabi, hindi lalabas yan. Lumabas naman. So, hindi rin ako nag-isip ng negative. Supportahan natin itong lahat kasi itong pelikula na ito, ang matagal nang hinahanap ng mga Pilipino,” he explained.

The cast is set to start filming in November, with an official release date yet to be announced. /edv

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