MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros and the Commission on Human Rights on Monday urged the Philippine government to heed a UN panel’s recommendation for it to provide full reparations to “comfort women” or Filipinos who were victims of sexual slavery in the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War.
The Philippine government has taken the position that it is a closed issue but also that it will not stop victims from seeking reparations from Japan.
"There is only a small window of time to make meaningful reparations as many of the survivors have already passed away and the few that remain are in their twilight years," Hontiveros said in Senate Resolution No. 539.
She continued: "It is therefore of extreme urgency that the Philippine government take immediate measures to provide reparations to the survivors and the families of victims of the wartime sexual violence of the [Imperial Japanese Army]."
The CHR stressed that the government is bound by the 1987 Constitution and international treaties to uphold "human rights standards and obligations relative to the plight of Filipina victims and survivors of sexual slavery under the Imperial Japanese Army."
The Constitution mandates the compensation and rehabilitation of victims of torture or similar practices and their families. Meanwhile, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the Philippines is a state party to, provides the right to remedy and reparations for violations of human rights.
"To a larger, nobler end, providing reparations to Filipina ‘comfort women’ pursues transitional justice, where large-scale and systematic human rights violations are addressed so that the nation and its people can move towards peace and reconciliation," the CHR said.
On top of reparations, the CHR called on the government to provide the victims recognition and redress, an official apology, and material and moral damages proportional to the physical, psychological and material damage they suffered and the gravity of the violation of their rights.
It also said that pursuing transitional justice is not just about providing compensation as it recommended that the government should also seek an apology from the Japanese government and put back the statue commemorating the fate of "comfort women" in Manila Bay, which was removed in 2018.
"It is high-time that the government stands up for its citizens and take active steps in granting the long overdue recognition and reparation that Filipina ‘comfort women’ desire and deserve," the CHR said.
The UN Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women flagged the Philippines for failing to "provide reparation, social support and recognition commensurate with the harm suffered."
Malacañang said in a statement that the government "will study the views of the committee and submit a written response to the committee within the timeframe of six months." — Xave Gregorio