Why did award-winning filmmaker Eileen Cabiling come to Siquijor?

Award-winning filmmaker Eileen Ong Ante Cabiling recently spent two days with us in Siquijor as part of her research for the upcoming folk-horror film “Lihim na Luha (Secret Tears),” being developed with Gushcloud Philippines Studios, with Jericho “Echo” Rosales attached to play the lead role.

Eileen previously directed the short film “Basurero,” starring Jericho Rosales Official, which won Best Short at the Philippine Movie Press Awards and premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.

Without giving too much away, at the heart of “Lihim na Luha” is a father-daughter story about a teenage girl experiencing something that different people around her understand in very different ways. As something familiar begins to awaken inside her, father and daughter are forced to confront the truth behind her mother’s death.

But is there more to what she is experiencing?

To develop the world behind the film, Eileen has been exploring different traditions and perspectives across the Philippines. Her research has taken her to Mountain Province and Siquijor, with Palawan planned as another stop in the journey.

For her time here, we designed a Siquijor Healers research workshop at Holy Paradise Resort, specifically around the questions and information she needed for the film. As part of the experience, we also shared our Mystic Meditation with her at Holy Paradise Resort.

From there, we continued through our Engkantours cultural immersion experience, bringing her around the island to meet local healers and knowledge holders and visit Bandilaan and Sawang. At Bandilaan, we shared another Mystic Meditation together.

We also appreciated how Eileen and her team approached the exchange. With the help of a research grant from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the production was able to provide honorariums for the local healers we interviewed and for our work facilitating the research, as well as cover our transportation during the two days.

Eileen even took care of our team’s meals while we were together—something we genuinely appreciated.

Ate TC Letecia Butalid Paitan and I are also grateful to our barangay captain Michael Lumactod, my parents, and the rest of our team who joined us in welcoming Eileen during her time here.

What stood out most to me was her willingness to listen and experience without arriving with the answers already decided.

As Eileen told me:

“I don’t know the answers and am basically exploring and immersing in the complexity.”

Siquijor is one part of a much wider research journey across the Philippines, and we’re happy to have shared some of our island’s traditions, experiences, and perspectives with her.

What did Eileen encounter and learn during those two days—and what, if anything, will eventually find its way into “Lihim na Luha”?

That part remains lihim for now.

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