MANILA - Justice has been elusive for the Filipino “comfort women”, and as the remaining few of them grow older, advocates like Sharon Cabusao-Silva and Atty. Virginia Lacsa Suarez are ensuring that their stories won’t be forgotten.

Cabusao-Silva started her involvement in the fight for justice for the Filipino “comfort women”, or victims of sexual abuse by Japanese soldiers during World War II, as a speechwriter for the late Nelia Sancho.

She went on to do other things for different organizations. But in 2018, she was offered to lead Lila Pilipina, one of the two comfort women groups in the country.

According to Cabusao-Silva, she accepted the offer because of her previous experience working for Sancho, and because she was also familiar with the stories of the war. She took over the post previously held by Rechilda Extremadura, who fell ill and later passed on.

“Tapos, ako din mismo, lumaki ako na maraming stories about World War II, kasi ‘yung parents ko mismo, survivors sila ng World War II,” she told ABS-CBN News in a recent interview.

(I myself grew up hearing stories about World War II, because my parents are also survivors of World War II.)

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As executive director now of Lila Pilipina, Cabusao-Silva said one of their primary objectives is to ensure that the stories of the lolas, or grandmothers, won’t be forgotten.

“Isa sa mga pangunahing tungkulin pa rin namin sa ngayon, is to inform the general public. Parang medyo matagal na rin ito eh, ‘yung parang pinaka-heart noong campaign was in the 1990s, and there’s a whole generation of young Filipinos na hindi na inabot yung campaign na ‘yun, at saka very little knowledge about the issue of, even of World War II,” she said.

(One of our main responsibilities is to inform the general public. It has been a while, the heart of campaign was in the 1990s, and there’s a whole generation of young Filipinos who did catch the campaign, and have very little knowledge about the issue, and even about World War II.)

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“‘Yung ganoon, mahina ‘yung sense of history, limited ang history education so kailangan talaga, important na magkaroon ng malawakang public awareness, public information campaign,” she added.

(That weak sense of history, or limited history education among the people makes it really important to have a wide public awareness, public information campaign.)

Lila Pilipina originally grouped 174 women who publicly said in the 1990s they had suffered at the hands of Japanese soldiers during the 1942-1945 Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

The lolas have been demanding three things from the Japanese government: official apology, just compensation, and inclusion of the comfort women issue in Japan’s historical accounts and textbooks. They have also sought support from the Philippine government for their struggle.

Lila Pilipina also aims to preserve all materials related to the lolas - photos, art works, interviews and accounts, among others, for the benefit of the future generation.

“Malay natin, baka sakaling in the future, maging tungtungan ang lahat ng mga salaysay ng mga lola natin para sa pagkakamit ng hustisya para sa kanila or para sa iba pang mga victims ng military sexual slavery,” Cabusao-Silva said.

(Who knows, maybe in the future, the narratives of all our lolas may be used as basis to get the justice they have been asking for, or for others who have been victims of military sexual slavery.)

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“We plan to really make it a public campaign,” she added.

Keeping the stories of lolas alive and ensuring the information reaches the younger generation are also among the goals of Suarez as Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan (Kaisa Ka) chairperson and counsel of Malaya Lolas (Free Grandmothers).

Kaisa Ka has been the support organization of Malaya Lolas, and Suarez has been working with the lolas since 2004.

“We campaign the cause of the Malaya Lolas. For the longest time, we coordinate with the Malaya Lolas, we encourage college students to visit and hear the stories of the lolas,” she said.

The Malaya Lolas is a group of elderly women (originally 90 members) who survived sexual slavery during the wartime in Mapaniqui, Candaba, Pampanga. Its president, Isabelita Vinuya, died in November 2021 at the age of 90.

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As with Cabusao-Silva, Suarez said it is important to ensure that the younger generation continue to be aware of the stories of the lolas.

“Because we cannot stop, because we cannot allow that the injustice will continue. We just cannot sit down and relax and sleep peacefully at night knowing that the lolas, who braved themselves, opened up for the gruesome, the horror, the terror that they experienced during World War II, and they will not get justice. It’s not easy for them to come out in the open for them not to be given that justice,” Suarez said.

“It’s also inspiring to see the lolas, despite the many years that they have been disregarded by the government, by our very own government and of course the Japanese government, they continue to fight. They continue to believe that justice will come. They continue to believe that their story is worth telling, that their story should be part of history.”

CHALLENGES

Both Cabusao-Silva and Suarez said there are a lot of challenges that need to be overcome in the continuing quest for justice for the lolas, the biggest of which is making the Philippine government recognize the lolas as victims of the war, and fight for their cause as well.

“Unang una na lang na challenge ay kung paano natin talagang ang sariling gobyerno natin ay makinig naman sila, for a change... at umakto naman sila para doon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga lola, hindi lamang doon in terms of their basic material and financial needs, kundi ‘yung magkaroon siya ng sariling tindig, at tumindig siya against the Japanese government at sabihin na, 'Heto, mayroon pa kayong responsibility sa aming mga Filipino na hindi pa ninyo nagagawa',” Cabusao-Silva said.

(First of all is the challenge on how to make our own government listen to us for a change. I hope they listen to us and do something for the needs of our lolas, not only in terms of their basic material and financial needs, but also in terms of having its own stand, and stand up against the Japanese government and tell them that they still have to be responsible for the Filipinos.)

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“But I believe the bigger challenge is, for the lolas, for Kaisa Ka, is facing this government who refuses to help the lolas, who refuses to take the case, take the cudgel, take the cause of the lolas,” Suarez said for her part.

“Let us not wait for our government to tell us what they should be doing. Let us also, let us start it by telling our government this is how you should do it, why you should do it, nandiyan naman na ang rason, ito ‘yun (you already have the reason, this is it),” she added.

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RELEVANCE

The quest for justice for the lolas has been going on for decades, and both Cabusao-Silva and Suarez said it is important to continue the fight, not only for the lolas, but for the current generation as well.

“Ang issue ng comfort women ay isang historical injustice na nagawa ng isang bansa - sa kasong ito, ng Japan, laban sa ating mga ninuno noong panahon ng World War II, laban sa ating kababaihang Filipino. Kaya kahit sino ay hindi dapat malimutan ang isyu na ito at dapat tumindig laban dito,” Cabusao-Silva said.

(The comfort women issue is a historical injustice done by a government, in this case Japan, against our ancestors during World War II. So it is important that nobody forgets it and we should take a stand on this.)

She reiterated that keeping the issue alive can help prevent it from happening again in the future.

“Mahalaga ring malaman ng kabataang kababaihan sapagkat patuloy pang nangyayari ang mga tinatawag nating wars of aggression, o kahit nga ‘yung tinatawag nating mga militaristang gobyerno na naitatayo sa iba’t ibang mga bansa," she said.

'At lagi’t lagi, sa mga ganitong sitwasyon, ang kabataang kababaihan ang nagiging isa sa mga nakakaranas ng malalang porma ng pang-aabuso. Kaya’t kailangan talaga na tayo, alam natin ito, at tayo ay manindigan na hindi na dapat mangyari, o dapat, unang una, magkaroon ng hustisya para doon sa mga naging biktima noong nakaraan at hindi na rin ito mangyari ngayon o kailan pa man,” Cabusao-Silva said.

(It is important for the younger generation of women to know about this issue because wars of aggression continue to happen. And in these cases, it’s always young women who become one of the victims of abuse. That’s why it’s important that we know about this, and we assert that this shouldn't happen again, or that in the first place, they get justice.)

“This is that important because we don’t want that to happen again. Not in our generation, not in the next generation,” Suarez also said.

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Their message for younger women? "Use your voice to speak up for those who cannot do so."

“So my message is let us not be silenced. Let us speak out the truth. Let us speak up for others who cannot speak up. Let us stand up for other girls and other women who cannot stand up,” Suarez said.

“And I say this, we do this for our lolas, because our lolas are already old. It’s difficult for them to stand up, to speak out, and fight for their own justice. We can take that, because we’re young. We’d take that because we don’t want that to happen again. We’d take that because we don’t want another second generation of lolas, of comfort women,” she added.

“Ang mensahe ng Lila Pilipina para sa mga kabataang kababaihan ngayon ay ‘yung mensaheng laging binabanggit ni Lola Estellita Dy, isa sa ating mga survivors. Sabi niya, hindi man niya makamit ang hustisya sa kanyang lifetime, ang gusto lamang niya ay malaman ng kabataan, lalo na ng kabataang kababaihan ang nangyari sa kanya. Sapagkat, sabi niya, kapag nalaman natin ito, tayo ay maninindigan na hindi na ito mangyayari, at tututulan natin dapat ang lahat ng giyera, ng pananakop, ang lahat ng militaristang gobyerno na nang-aapi sa kanilang mamamayan at gumagamit ng tinatawag nating sexual violence o rape bilang isang kasangkapan para ma-subjugate ang populasyon,” Cabusao-Silva said.

(The message of Lila Pilipina for the younger women is the same message that Lola Estellita Dy always mentions. She said, even though they may not be able to get justice in her lifetime, what she wants is for the younger generation to know about what happened to her because when they know about it, they would stand up against any form of war, or military governments who abuse the people and use sexual violence or rape to subjugate its population.)

“Kaya dapat tayong manindigan, dapat tayong makialam, dapat tayong mag-aral hinggil sa isyung ito at ipaglaban natin ang cause, katarungan para sa lahat ng biktima ng military sexual violence, lalo na ng comfort women system.”

(This is why we should take a stand, we should be informed about this issue and fight for justice for all victims of military sexual violence, especially the comfort women system.)

This article is part of the Amazing Women series of ABS-CBN News this month of March, featuring stories of select women who are making a mark in their respective fields and advocacies. March is National Women's Month in the Philippines.

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