After the success of his recent series "Dirty Linen," veteran actor Soliman Cruz took on a new role as a member of the Teduray Tribe in the movie "The Blind Soldiers."

During the press conference at Fiyo Bagi restaurant in Quezon City on Aug. 27, Soliman shared how he caused a slight delay due to a health issue on set.

"Isa sa mga naging challenge sa akin nung mga time na yun, is yung init ng araw talaga. Naging cause of delay po ako kasi bumaba yung aking blood pressure, so kailangan ako ilagay sa ambulansya kasi dun lang may aircon, tinuloy pa rin nila shoot, pero may isang eksena po ako na hinintay pa nila maging stable yung blood pressure ko," Soliman said.

(During those times, one of the challenges I faced was the heat of the sun. I caused the delay as my blood pressure dropped, so I had to ride in the ambulance with air conditioning. They continued to shoot, but there was one scene where they waited for my blood pressure to stabilize.)

During the pandemic, Long Meija and Gary Lim faced challenges such as getting sick and undergoing swab tests while shooting the film.

"Ang pinakamahirap sa amin ay yung iniiswab kami araw-araw, talagang sumakit ilong namin dun, and tapos minsan mababalitaan pa namin yung isa sa crew may lagnat so dun na kami kabang kaba," Long added.

(The most challenging thing for us was that we were swabbed every day, our noses really hurt, and then sometimes we would hear that one of the crew had a fever, so we were worried.)

"The Blind Soldiers" follows the story of five men (Soliman Cruz, Long Meija, Gary Lim, Dr. Ronald Adamat, Bong Cabrera) from the Teduray tribe of Cotabato who enlisted in the United States of Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) during World War Two.

What started as a noble intention soon turned out to be a nightmare when they realized the magnitude of how they signed up for compounding their struggle is that they are illiterates.

CHED Commissioner Dr. Ronald Adamat said he felt pressured to act and direct in his debut project.

"Napakahirap sa akin mafullfill yung expectations ng publiko, kasi this is my first time acting, kaya pinilit ko makisabay sa kanila, so kinakabahan ako along the way, pero ang fullfilment ko naman sa project na ito is binigay ko naman lahat," Dr. Ronald said.

(It was very difficult for me to fulfill the public's expectations because this was my first time acting, so I forced myself to keep up with them. I was nervous along the way, but my fulfillment in this project is that I gave it my all.)

Adamat aims to give students a glimpse of the history of their unsung heroes through a film that tackles the value of education.

Joining Soliman and Dr. Ronald Adamat on the film are Sue Prado, Jojit Lorenzo, Apollo Sheikh Abraham, Jamie Wilson, and Zhaine Franco. "The Blind Soldiers" will have a theatrical run from Sept. 15-19 in select SM Cinemas nationwide. The film is also a finalist in Canada's Saskatchewan International Film Festival.