19 May 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in New York held a screening of the ABS-CBN documentary “Spratlys: Mga Isla ng Kalayaan” at the Kalayaan Hall Annex of the Philippine Center on May 04. Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. led community members in viewing the documentary, an awardee and Finalist in the 2015 New York Festival World’s Best Television and Films Competition.
In his welcome remarks, Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. expressed the timely significance of the documentary in enlightening Filipino community members on developments in the West Philippine Sea, particularly the human side of the maritime dispute. He further noted the film’s value in educating members of the community, including the younger generation, on what relevant issues are at stake and how the dispute would impact on regional peace and security.
Prior to the screening, ABS-CBN broadcast journalist Chiara Zambrano introduced the documentary which she put together, describing how she personally traveled to several of the Spratlys Islands to investigate the different issues on the region, such as the history behind the Philippine claim of sovereignty over the islands, the legal and diplomatic tracks that the Philippine government is currently pursuing over the Spratlys, and the reason why several Asian countries, including China and Vietnam, claim the islands as their own.
The documentary explored the economic and moral stakes for the Philippines’ claim of the Spratlys and delved into the geopolitical matters revolving around the inter-regional dispute of the islands. The film further probed into the situation of Filipinos and local communities living in or within the immediate vicinity of the Spratlys and how their individual and family lives have been affected and intertwined with the territorial dispute.
A question-and-answer portion on the documentary with Ms. Zambrano followed the screening, moderated by Consul Felipe Cariño, Director of the Political/Economic Section of the Consulate.
The viewing event was well attended by community leaders representing organizations like the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations, the Filipino-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG), Knights of Rizal, Handang Tumulong Foundation Inc, the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc, PAG-ASA, and the Philippine American Friendship Committee, among others.
Several community members also called for the documentary to be screened at future UN-related events and at forums involving younger-generation Filipinos who may be unaware of the global as well as the social and humanitarian implications of the West Philippine Sea dispute. END