A RISK: WORTH TAKING

Broadcast journalist and producer Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala recalls the arduous journey behind the making of Delikado and shares her experience and challenges in making the movie

- Franz Sorilla IV

Beyond the spellbinding beauty of Palawan, deemed the "last ecological frontier", behind its lush forests, powdery white-sand beaches, crystal-clear lagoons, and thriving biodiversity is a struggle unbeknownst to many. It is not only a danger towards the lives of Bobby Chan, Tata Balladares, Nieves Rosento and the rest of the environmental crusaders who go toe-to-toe with illegal loggers, unscrupulous fishermen, greedy corporations and corrupt politicians but a fight to save our country from ecological degradation and enduring human rights abuses.

Delikado, an investigative documentary produced by Thoughtful Robot and Narravi Films, is a co-production of ITVS and POV/American Documentary and distributed by PBS. In 2023, it was nominated for the 44th News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Although it lost the Outstanding Investigative Documentary award to HBO Max's Escape from Kabul, producer Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, who helmed the project, says, "It never felt that way." The film project's beginning goes back to the 2011 tourism piece assignment of Delikado's writer and director, Karl Malakunas. It was supposed to be a collaboration with broadcast journalist and environmental activist Gerry Ortega.

"The story never happened because of Gerry's death due to his anti-mining and anti-corruption crusade," Magsanoc-Alikpala says. "Karl investigated his murder and, along the way, met the land defenders we featured in the film." The film follows Chan, an environmental lawyer; Balladares, a farmer and former para-enforcer who apprehends illegal loggers and fishermen; and former El Nido Mayor Nieves Cabunalda Rosento. Together, they risk their lives to prevent politicians and business people from destroying Palawan.