By Robina Asido

The descendants of the Filipino victims of sexual slavery during World War II urged the government to bring back a missing comfort women statue as they marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Japanese occupation in a protest in Manila on Thursday.

Seven children and grandchildren of Filipino comfort women joined different human rights and women's groups in a protest held along Roxas Boulevard where the previous statue was placed. The statue was removed in April 2016 for a reported flood control project.

One of the seven descendants present was Elizabeth Atillo, 69, daughter of Estelita Dy, one of the World War II survivors who died last November 26, 2024.

In an interview with reporters, Atillo urged the government to help them in bringing back the comfort women statue to preserve the memory of their parents who suffered during the war.

"Of course because that serves as the memory of our parents," she said.

"President Marcos, we hope that you will bring back the statue of comfort women that was removed during the time of former President Duterte," she added.

Atillo also asked the Japanese government to give justice for their Filipino comfort women so the souls of those who died will rest in peace.

She stressed that only a few are still alive. Sharon Cabusao, one of the organizers of the ecent, said less than 10 are alive.

"We are asking the President of Japan to give justice for our parents who were abused by the Japanese during World War II, so that their spirit will rest in peace," she said.

However, in a message to the Daily Manila Shimbun on Thursday, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines stressed that "with regards to the issues of reparations, property, and claims related to the last war, the Japanese government has responded in good faith in accordance with the San Francisco Peace Treaty and the Japan-Philippines Reparations Agreement."

"Our position is that these issues have been legally resolved with the Philippines, including the issue of individual claims," the Embassy stated.

Atillo said before her mother died last year, Estelita asked her children to continue her fight for justice.

"We hope President Ferdinand Marcos will help us in our problem, for us to achieve justice... We are asking for three things, for them (Japanese government) to apologize, the inclusion of the history (of comfort women to the curriculum), and compensation," she said.

Teresita Ang-See, the founder of the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order also revealed a plan rehabilitate the "Bahay na Pula" in San Ildefonso, Bulacan which was used by the Japanese soldiers to perpetrate sexual violence, into a shrine for comfort women.

"We wanted to make the Bahay na Pula, the red house of the Malaya Lolas into a shrine, a multi-purpose shrine for women. To commemorate the purpose for elderly women," she said.

"If we allow the Japanese to build a shrine for kamikaze soldiers who killed men, women, innocent children in Pampanga, then what is stopping us from building a shrine for our comfort women?," she added.

Ang-See said the rehabilitation of the Bahay na Pula will be funded by the government noting that the inter-agency task force formed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) resolution was already convened last March.

"The inter-agency task force has been formed by the government, led by the Philippine Commission on Women, the PCW. So we are asking the Philippine Commission on Women to take the lead to negotiate for Bahay na Pula," she said.

"As well as the Commission on Human Rights, which is very helpful, they convened the first meeting just this March. We had a big meeting of all the inter-agency associations, including the Department of Education, who should put the comfort women in the curriculum. Including the local government, the DSWD, who should take care of the comfort women, and the DOH, the Department of Health," she added.

Former congresswoman Arlene Brosas who also attended the rally said that two House bills were filed "to declare August 14, as National Memorial Day for Comfort Women" and "to put accounts and heroism of Filipino Comfort Women during the Japanese occupation here in the curriculum, in the education system". DMS