PH has no official stand on comfort women issue—Palace

FILE: Harry Roque (PCOO PHOTO)

Malacañan on Monday said that the Philippines has no official stand on the issue of comfort women, after the erection of a statue on December 8, representing victims forced to work as sex slaves back in World War II.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, in a press briefing, said that there is “no official position” on the issue.

“The fact that the statue was unveiled – well, is a fact. It was not stopped by the government. So for all intents and purposes, there is a statue allowed to be erected in memory of the comfort women,” he said.

“It does not support, it does not oppose. It has no position currently,” he added.

Roque said that though the Duterte administration allowed the statue, it will “not affect the very good bilateral relationship with Japan right now.”

“I don’t think so because the relationship is at record-close, if there is such a thing,” he said.

A seven-feet bronze artwork dubbed as “Filipino Comfort Women” was unveiled to raise awareness on their ‘victimization’ during the Japanese colonization, on Roxas Boulevard baywalk, just a few kilometers from the Japanese embassy. It was sculpted by Jonas Roces, 40.

The words “This monument is a reminder of the Filipino women who were victims of abuses during the occupation of the Japanese forces from 1942-1945. It took a while before they came out into the open to tell their stories” was engraved on the statue.

National Historical Commission of the Philippines collaborated with Lila Pilipina (League of Filipino Women) in conceptualizing the statue, which now wears a Filipiniana clothing and is blindfolded.

Lila Pilipina and Malaya Lolas (Free Grandmothers) both documented stories of comfort women and demanded from the Japanese government an official apology, compensation, and historical texts about comfort women on Japanese textbooks.