THE people behind The Echo, the first Hollywood film directed by a Dabawenyo, issued an apology for the non-release of the movie in the Philippines market this week.

"Sorry Philippines," The Echo team posted on its facebook.com account.

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The Echo, directed by Dabawenyo Yam Laranas, was scheduled to be released on October 7. The Philippine showing, originally pegged on September 23, was already postponed twice since Yam doesn't want to compete with films released by GMA Films (Yaya and Angelina, the Spoiled Brat Movie) and Regal Films (Nandito Ako... Nagmamahal sa 'yo), both Philippines production companies which are supportive to Yam's career.

But when the market is clear for any film produced by GMA and Regal, the prints of The Echo did not arrive in the Philippines in time for the October 7 showing.

"Blame QED," The Echo team stated. "QED, the international distributor, is showing how inefficient they are. We wonder -- if we take out QED in the equation -- things would have been different."

The delay has caused frustration among the followers of the film, touted as the first Filipino film produced by major Hollywood company.

"I wonder why Manila was not given priority for the showing of this movie? I think we should be the first country to have seen it or at least the first in Asia... just a thought...," said follower Edwin Peralta in the facebook fan account of the movie.

In Davao City, Yam's friends and followers who failed to watch the Davao premiere went to Gaisano Mall Cinema on Wednesday hoping to get a first commercial glimpse of the film.

Gaisano Mall had promoted the Oct. 7 release of the movie, and even carried the movie in its weekly movie guide on newspapers. But the announcement for the cancellation of the movie came too late.

Gaisano Mall hosted the Davao premiere of the Echo last Sept. 27 which was attended by hundreds of Yam's relatives and supporters. The print used in that premiere was said to be the only one available in the Philippines.

The release date of The Echo is temporary on hold.

Yam's other horror movie, Patient X, is set for an October 28 release in the theaters. Patient X is co-produced by GMA Films and Viva Films, which is the local distributor of The Echo.

Yam, in an interview during the Davao premiere, said he wanted The Echo to be released before Patient X. "Patient X is hyped as a film directed by Yam Laranas, the director of The Echo," Yam told Davao reporters. "So it is not right for Patient X to be released ahead of The Echo."

The Echo is the Hollywood directorial debut of Yam based on his earlier Filipino film Sigaw that starred Richard Gutierrez, Angel Locsin, Iza Calzado and Jomari Yllana.

In the Hollywood version, actor Jesse Bradford took Richard's role, while Iza reprised her role as the abused wife of a policeman living in a next-door apartment room.

While the central plot of a man haunted by ghosts in an apartment is maintained, more twists were introduced in the American version.

The movie got good reviews from various critics here and abroad.