Been to Baler a couple of times so i would say this substitute location is quite accurate. Pacing is a little slow at times, (its a siege).but still a solid story that could be shortened a bit.

Warning! SOME SPOILERS:the writers and director have taken many artistic liberties, 1. in 1898 public display of nudity and sex on a public square on these strictly conservative islands(and isolated backwater, Baler)will get you flogged and stoned(even if you're the town whore)immediately. 2. There are NO ORANGES in Luzon Island or Sierra Madre. Nitpicking aside this scene quite knocks me out of my mood.

After the nearly annihilation of the military post in Baler (Philippines) by the local independist forces, the Spanish colonial power decides to send 50 men reinforcement to reclaim the village 200 kilometers from Manila. Due to the local uprising they decide to ditch in the local mission. The Spanish forces, against all odds, manage to resits a siege of more than 11 months. Their epic defence is still part of the Spanish army lore and one of the few watermarks n the 89 traumatic loss of the last Spanish colonies. Baler represents not only the end of the Spanish global Empire but the beginning of the US neocolonial power.