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Sen. Risa Hontiveros visits Bahay na Pula to meet the Malaya Lolas. Office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros

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Sen. Risa

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17199889044153.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Risa Hontiveros reiterated her call for &#x27;just and meaningful&#x27; reparations for Filipino comfort women and their families. <em>Office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros.</em></span></span></span>MANILA — The Philippine government is &quot;running <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/24/21/comfort-woman-leading-her-groups-quest-for-justice-dies">out of time</a>&quot; to provide &quot;<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">meaningful reparations&quot; for the Filipina victims of sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said, noting that only a handful of so-called comfort women remains alive. </span></div><div><span id="isPasted"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/04/23/filipino-comfort-women-ring-for-peace-and-justice">• Filipino ‘comfort women’ ring for peace and justice</a></span><br/><span></span><span id="isPasted"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/14/23/ph-urged-to-compensate-apologize-to-comfort-women">• Philippines urged to compensate, apologize to Filipino comfort women</a></span></div><p>&quot;They cannot wait any longer... President Marcos and the entire administration must make good on their promise to extend aid and assistance to them,&quot; said Hontiveros.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/28/23/meet-the-new-filipino-comfort-women-lead-crusaders">• Amazing Women: Two advocates lead the PH comfort women&#x27;s quest for justice</a></div><p>&quot;Hindi dapat hayaan ng ating gobyerno na pumanaw sila nang hindi nakakamtan ang hustisya para sa kanila,&quot; she added.</p><p>(The government should not wait for them to die before they deliver justice for these comfort women.)</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17199889612782.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Risa Hontiveros visits Bahay na Pula, which was used by the Japanese Imperial Army to abuse Filipino women. <em>Office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros</em></span></span></span></div><p>Hontiveros made the appeal following her visit to <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Bahay na Pula</span> (Red House), <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">which was used by the Japanese Imperial Army to abuse Filipino women. The senator called on the government to <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">restore Bahay na Pula and turn it into a wartime memorial site.</span> </span></p><p>The girls sexually abused inside the Bahay na Pula are now part of the group Malaya Lolas, fighting for recognition and compensation since its foundation in 1997.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/07/23/declaration-of-bahay-na-pula-as-official-war-memorial-sought">• Gov&#x27;t asked to declare ‘Bahay na Pula’ as official WWII memorial</a></div><p>Hontiveros also had a meeting with the Malaya Lolas.</p><p>“Labing-walo na lang ang natitirang Malaya Lolas (Only 18 Malaya Lolas are alive),&quot; she said.</p><p>Malaya Lolas was the group that filed a complaint before the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which ruled in 2023 that the &quot;Philippines violated the rights of [Filipina comfort women] by failing to provide reparation, social support and recognition commensurate with the harm suffered.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/03/09/23/un-ph-failed-to-provide-reparation-for-wwii-comfort-women">• UN: Philippines failed to provide reparation for WWII &#x27;comfort women&#x27; </a></div><p>In response, Malacañang had said it would &quot;study and submit a written response&quot; to the UN panel, but noted that &quot;some reparations have been made and the Supreme Court has adjudicated on the matter.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/11/23/govt-to-study-submit-reply-on-comfort-women-issue">• Gov&#x27;t to &#x27;study, submit&#x27; reply on UN panel&#x27;s views on comfort women issue</a></div><p>President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also addressed the UN panel findings and ordered &quot;relevant Government agencies to look into how we can appropriately address the concerns of the Malaya Lolas.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/13/23/marcos-jr-says-govt-moving-to-help-comfort-women">• Marcos Jr. orders gov&#x27;t agencies to look into concerns of Malaya Lolas</a></div><p>In May this year, Sen. Imee Marcos created a technical working group to identify &quot;all obligations and corresponding funding sources so that the remaining surviving 18 Malaya Lolas shall receive the reparations&quot; in compliance with the UN panel ruling.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/04/15/22/filipino-comfort-women-hope-next-president-can-fight-for-them">• Filipino &#x27;comfort women&#x27; hope next President can fight for them</a></div><p>An estimated 1,000 Filipino women served as comfort women during the 1941-1945 occupation.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_3p3xryTxvQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Philippines is running out of time in providing "meaningful reparations" for the few remaining Filipina comfort women, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.</p>

The Philippines is running out of time in providing "meaningful reparations" for the few remaining Filipina comfort women, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.

'Time's running out': Gov't urged to speed up reparations for surviving 'comfort women'

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'Time's running out': Gov't urged to speed up reparations for surviving 'comfort women'

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 03, 2024 03:21 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 04, 2024 01:02 AM PHT

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Senate

senator

Risa Hontiveros

reparation

UN

women

comfort women

sexual slavery

Japan

politics

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