CUYO, Palawan, Philippines ? Actress Judy Ann Santos brought all sorts of spices to this small island so that she could whip up special meals for her co-stars and boyfriend Ryan Agoncillo who acted as still photographer throughout the three-week shoot for Panoramanila Pictures? ?Ploning.?

?One Sunday, since it was my day off, we had a barbecue party,? Judai related. ?We ate on banana leaves. My Cuyonon dialect coach Ate Marose [Quejano] also gifted us with small crabs called peye ... whose meat is very sweet when cooked.?

?We had a bonfire by the beach,? Ryan recalled. ?We couldn?t have had that much fun in other provinces.?

Apart from the beach, which is just a quick stroll from where Judai stayed, she also loved the film?s main set, dubbed Ploning?s house. It?s an ancestral home owned by a former lady mayor.

Previously in ruins, the house was renovated by the production design team led by Raymund George Fernandez. And then it was returned to its former dilapidated state for the film?s present-day scenes (featuring Tessie Tomas and Beth Tamayo).

Although it was Judai?s first time on Cuyo, she had become familiar with the island through the film?s director, Dante Nico Garcia, whom she fondly calls Ga.

?Seven years ago, I helped Ga with his foundation Lyrics and Sheets? fundraiser for Cuyo?s hospital,? she recounted. ?He showed me pictures of the place. It was so sad; it didn?t have enough bedsheets.?

Judai and Ga set up screenings of Chris Martinez?s short films in her old bar, Kilimanjaro, and raised P20,000.

In the middle of the shoot earlier this month, the hospital staff hosted a thanksgiving party for the entire cast.

Last year, co-star Meryll Soriano, pregnant with son Elijah at the time, was among ?the first to try the Doppler (ultrasound test equipment), which she had helped purchase through her own contributions,? said Dante.

Another ?Ploning? cast member, Mylene Dizon, joined a round of ?Game KnB? and won P200,000 for the island, related Dante. ?Later, when she received a $2,000-gift, she started a scholarship foundation.?

Now that they?ve actually been to Cuyo, they?ve become more ?protective? of the island and its people.

?I used to hear of Cuyo only as part of the weather report in the news,? Judai explained. ?But now I admire Cuyonons all the more.?

They have such a beautiful outlook in life, she said. ?No wonder Ga is bubbly. He grew up in a place that is simple, and yet its culture is very rich.?

?Like most Cuyonons, Ga loves and is proud of this island,? co-star Eugene Domingo pointed out.

?I?d be heartbroken if a typhoon passed by this area,? insisted cast member Ces Quesada.

After going home, co-actor Gina Pareño kept calling and texting Ces and company who were still on the island. ?I got homesick. I missed Cuyo,? she said.

?I just hope that the island will be protected,? said Mylene, ?that it will not be taken advantage of by foreigners.?

Judai, Ga, Mylene and the rest of the cast are thinking of a few more fund-raising projects.

?For one thing,? said Mylene, ?since there are a lot of stray dogs on the island, Judai and I want to make sure that there?s constant supply of anti-rabies medicine in the hospital. We just learned that they couldn?t keep any in stock [because of its short shelf life] after a crew member had been bitten.?

With the film?s earnings, Dante hopes to build an arts camp for kids and a wellness center for senior artists.

He pointed out: ?Retired artists can share their skills and knowledge with the campers and enjoy the island?s scenery, fresh air and laid-back lifestyle.?