China interested in making film about Filipino datu

China is looking into helping produce a film about Datu Padulay, a Filipino datu who settled in the Shandong Province in 1300s, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar confirmed.

In his radio program aired over state-run Radyo Pilipinas, Andanar said China expressed its intention during a conference on Asian civilizations in Beijing, China.

According to the Palace official, China was interested in helping to produce the film about the datu because of his connection to the Asian giant.

"Gustong tumulong ng bansang China na gumawa ng pelikula about Datu Padulay... mga 1300’s na nagpunta ng Shandong, China tapos namatay siya doon (China wants to help make a film about Datu Padulay, he went to Shandong China in 1300s and he died there)," he said.

"Nagkaroon siya ng pamilya doon, ngayon mayroon na siyang basque doon, mayroong siyang statue and all; tapos iyong kaniyang mga descendants nandoon pa rin (He had a family there. He had a basque and a statue there. Even his descendants are still there)," he added.

According to Andanar, Datu Padulay's story only showed that the Philippines and China already enjoyed good trading relations even since before the Spaniards came to the country.

"Before the Spaniards even arrived in our country, ay mayroon nang trading relations ang China at Pilipinas (there was already a trade relations between China and the Philippines); and during that time, we were called the ‘Kingdom of the East’ kasi hindi pa naman tayo Philippines eh, hindi pa dumarating iyong Espanyol (because we were not called the Philippines back then because the Spaniards were not here yet)," he said.

"So they want to produce that film with the... with any good director that will be interested in the Philippines," he added.

Meanwhile, Andanar said that the conference he attended in Beijing last week was "very good" as everybody was able to understand one another.

"The importance of believing that no civilization is dominant over the other. Tapos iyong kailangang bukas ang ating isipan sa iba pang mga magagandang ideya (the openness to new ideas), traditions and culture, so iyong mga ganoong bagay pinag-usapan (those were the things that were discussed)," he said.