By Ben Rosario Filipinos have decided to boycott the animated film “Abominable” for containing scenes that the government found just as abominable to the ongoing dispute over territories in the West Philippine Sea. House of the Representatives (ALVIN KASIBAN / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO) Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Ann Hofer, chairperson of the House Committee on Foreign Relations, said Filipino moviegoers have apparently “decided on the question of whether the film deserves attention.” Hofer said the movie had already been “pulled out of theaters due to poor viewership.” “Consistent with the landmark 2016 Hague ruling, I support the call of DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. for the producers of the film ‘Abominable’ to cut scenes that portray the now invalidated ‘nine-dash line,” explained Hofer. Aghast at the film that featured a map of the South China Sea with China’s nine-dash line claim, Locsin called for a universal boycott” of all films made by its producer, Dreamworks. But Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a senior member of the Foreign Relations panel, said the movie has no effect on the Philippine’s strong claim over the contested territories. “Just a movie. We have the arbitral decision,” Rodriguez stressed. For his part, Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon backed Locsin by calling on local film distributors to demonstrate patriotism.” “Perhaps, we can call on the local distributor of the film to do an act of patriotism and not book the film for showing in the Philippines,” said Biazon, vice chairman of the House Committee on National Defense. Hofer quoted a portion of the Arbitral Award that states “… with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the nine-dash lines are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention,” referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. “The Tribunal concludes that the convention superseded any historic rights or other sovereign right or jurisdiction in excess of the limits imposed therein” the ruling added. Malaysia had also protested and taken action against the exhibition of “Abominable.”