By Dennis Gorecho
When it comes to remembering our country’s history of struggle, most people’s memories seem to be selective, and rather short, including World War II.
The stories of Filipina comfort women became viral due to the airing of the locally produced television drama series “Pulang Araw” by GMA Entertainment, which is also streamed in Netflix.
Set during World War II, “Pulang Araw” traces the intertwining lives of four childhood friends — Eduardo (Alden Richards), Teresita (Sanya Lopez), Adelina (Barbie Forteza), and Hiroshi (David Licauco). As war ravages their homeland and Japanese forces occupy the country, their dreams, friendships, and loyalties are tested, leading them on a journey of self-discovery and resilience.
Kapuso stars Lopez, Ashley Ortega, Rochelle Pangilinan, and Angeli Nicole Sanoy portray the roles of Filipina comfort women.
About 200,000 women from Korea, China, Burma, New Guinea, and the Philippines were held in captivity and raped as part of one of the largest operations of sexual violence in modern history.
During the day, they were forced to wash the soldiers’ clothes and cook the men’s meals. In the afternoon and evening, the men would come for them and sexually abuse them.
The girls, who were abducted, trafficked or brought to the Japanese military camps, had their own dreams and visions for the future. All these were shattered. The victims spent their lives in misery, having endured physical injuries, pain and disability, and mental and emotional suffering.
“Napakabigat ng topic. Artista lang naman ako pero ramdam ko ang mga ipinaglalaban ng mga kababaihan natin,” said Lopez, who played Teresita Boromeo, a vaudeville star from a wealthy family who catches the attention of fierce Japanese Colonel Yuta Saitoh (played by Dennis Trillo).
With the help of the group Lila Filipina, Lopez and Ortega had the chance to listen to the stories of Lola Estelita Dy (94) and Lola Narcisa Claveria (93) who became comfort women at the young ages 14 and 12, respectively.
“Nung nakausap ko sila, sobrang durog na durog po ako. Sobrang sakit po sa puso na marinig ‘yung kwento nila, dahil totoo po ‘yung nangyari sa kanila at hindi po biro,” Lopez narrated during a Pandesal Forum at Kamuning Bakery.
Ortega plays the role of nun Sister Manuela who admitted that she initially knew nothing of the comfort women stories because these are not taught in history classes in school.
“Kapag ginagawa namin ‘yung mga eksena, hindi ko talaga maisip na nangyari ‘yun. Masakit talaga sa puso,” Ortega said as she hoped that telling their stories will prevent these sufferings from happening again and for justice for the comfort women be attained soon.
Ortega said she is happy that “Pulang Araw” has become the voice of the comfort women; the young generation is becoming aware of what happened during the war.
“Na-realize ko sobrang swerte pala ng henerasyon natin ngayon. Hindi natin naranasan ‘yung pinagdaanan nila nung panahon ng Hapon. Napakapalad po talaga sobra natin,” Lopez said.
As a reporter in the 1990s, I covered the Asian sex slaves who were brave enough to tell the world about this inhuman practice of the Japanese during the war.
From the more than 200 documented survivors in the late 1990s, less than 30 Filipino comfort women are still alive.
“Kailan kaya nila matatanggap ‘yung hustisya na nararapat para sa kanila? Kasi, konti na lang sila. So, kailan pa?” Lopez said.
Lopez assured that “Pulang Araw” would honor their stories and expressed hope that the series could contribute to their ongoing fight for justice.
“Kaya sa mga lola po natin na nakipaglaban, nakipagsapalaran at ipinaglaban ang mga sarili nila bilang kababaihan, saludo po ako sa inyo! Saludo po ako sa katatagan ninyo,” Lopez said.
On International Women’s Day last year, March 8, 2023, the United Nations Committee on Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) released a decision which found that the “Philippines violated the rights of victims of sexual slavery perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War by failing to provide reparation, social support and recognition commensurate with the harm suffered.”
The dwindling number highlights a sense of urgency for them to receive a formal, unequivocal public apology and just compensation from Japan as well as accurate historical inclusion while their voices can still be heard.
The Pandesal Forum panel included Flowers for Lolas, Gabriela Partylist, Lila Pilipina, and Malaya Lolas.
The Flowers for Lolas network was formed due to the removal and subsequent disappearance of the Lola statue that represents Filipino women’s dignity and stands as “a reminder that wars of aggression must always be opposed, and that sexual slavery and violence should never happen again to any woman, anywhere at any time.”
Mainstream media plays a significant role in shaping public opinion, influencing societal beliefs, and even impacting political landscapes.
With each passing death, the generation that fought and suffered during the war will be gone. So too will the memory of the war.
Through “Pulang Araw,” may we #NeverForget the sufferings of the comfort women during World War II as a dark moment of our history.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho is a Junior Partner who heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786./WDJ