When it comes to remembering our country’s history of struggle, most people’s memories seem to be selective and rather short, including with World War II.
The stories of Filipina comfort women went viral due to the airing of the locally produced television drama series “Pulang Araw,” produced by GMA Entertainment and also streaming on Netflix.
Set during World War II, “Pulang Araw” follows the intertwined 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 journeys of self-discovery and resilience.
Kapuso stars Lopez, Ashley Ortega, Rochelle Pangilinan, and Angeli Nicole Sanoy portray Filipina comfort women.
Around 200,000 women from Korea, China, Burma, New Guinea, and the Philippines were held captive and raped as part of one of the largest operations of sexual violence in modern history.
During the day, they were forced to wash soldiers’ clothes and cook their meals. In the afternoons and evenings, the men would come for them, subjecting them to sexual abuse.
The girls, who were abducted, trafficked, or brought to Japanese military camps, had their own dreams and visions for the future. All were shattered. The victims spent their lives in misery, enduring 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,” Lopez said, who played Teresita Boromeo, a vaudeville star from a wealthy family who catches the attention of the fierce Japanese Col. 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 of 14 and 12, respectively.
“Nung nakausap ko sila, sobrang durog na durog po ako. Sobrang sakit po sa puso na marinig yung kuwento nila, dahil totoo po yung nangyari sa kanila at hindi po biro,” Lopez narrated during the Pandesal Forum at Kamuning Bakery.
Ortega plays the role of nun Sister Manuela. She admitted that she initially knew nothing of the comfort women’s stories because these are not taught in history classes at school.
“Kapag ginagawa namin yung mga eksena, hindi ko talaga maisip na nangyari yun. Masakit talaga sa puso,” Ortega said, expressing hope that telling these stories will prevent similar suffering from happening again and bring justice for the comfort women soon.
Ortega is happy that “Pulang Araw” has become the voice of the comfort women, as the young generation becomes aware of what happened during the war.
“Narealize ko sobrang suwerte 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 inhumane practice by the Japanese during the war.
From more than 200 documented survivors in the late 1990s, fewer 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 asked.
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 the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) released a decision finding 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 of survivors highlights an urgent need for them to receive a formal, unequivocal public apology, just compensation from Japan, and accurate historical inclusion while their voices can still be heard.
The Pandesal Forum panel included representatives from 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, which 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 fades. So too does the memory of the war.
Through “Pulang Araw,” may we #NeverForget the suffering of the comfort women during World War II as a dark moment in our history.
(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 [email protected], or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)
