We urge our government to UPHOLD THE DIGNITY of the Filipino people and not make our country the laughing stock of the world.
We urge every FILIPINO to PROTECT and EMBRACE OUR HISTORY.
PRESERVE and PROTECT the Comfort Women Statue in Roxas Blvd.
No threats of unfriendly relations, economic sanctions, pullout of ambassadors, abrogation of sister city agreement budged Korea, San Francisco, Sydney and others.
Not one country in the world succumbed to Japan’s unreasonable demand to have the comfort women statues removed.
We can do no less.
We are at par with these countries as we stand secure in upholding the truth and dignity of our nation. We have not asked Japan to remove the shrines for Japanese soldiers in our land – the kamikaze (Japanese suicide bomber) shrine in Mabalacat, Pampanga; memorial shrines in Corregidor, in Lumban, Laguna, in Muntinlupa and elsewhere.
Would Japan accept a foreign country's dictates to have the Yasukuni Shrine removed?
Show to Japan that we Filipinos have PRIDE, too, and we will not be subservient to any promises of economic gains at the expense of forgetting history and denying justice to victims. China and Korea continue to be Japan’s major trade partners despite thorns in their relations.
We have long forgiven Japan for the tragedy it caused us – our country and our people – during WWII. But we should not forget the atrocities and war crimes, including the rape of an estimated 400,000 women.
We have to deal with our friends and neighbors cordially and diplomatically, Japan among them. But this does not mean we have to be subservient to unreasonable demands.
Good relations with Japan should not come at the expense of forgetting history and disregarding those who have suffered under Japanese occupation.
The comfort women statue is not intended to insult the Japanese people. It serves to remind humanity that violence against women is unacceptable any time and under any circumstances. It serves to remember the victims who suffered and to pay tribute to their courage and resilience.
President Duterte has made it clear: The comfort women statue on Roxas Boulevard is an exercise of freedom of expression– a CONSTITUTIONAL right.
It is pro-forma for the Japan Embassy to protest against the statue, otherwise, it would not be doing its job. But, it is for our own government to fight for the Filipinos and uphold the dignity of our nation.
The prudent and wise decision, in fact, the only decision our government can make is to leave the statue alone. Japan, the world, our future generations will respect us more if we stand our ground.
Peace is not just the absence of war.
Peace is a lesson that must be taught to present and future generations -- that war is never an answer to any conflict, and never again should we visit the war of our fathers on our future generations.
Some sectors argue that this issue is better left in the past.
"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinangalingan, ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan."
Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal said: To foretell the destiny of the Nation, it is necessary to open the book that tells of its past.
Memorials of Comfort Women have been erected in the US, South Korea, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong. The statue represents the courage of every sister, mother, aunt, grandma.
Even Germany apologized for the millions of Jews massacred by
the Nazis. Germany built the Holocaust Memorial to remind their people the cruelties of war, and avoid the repeat.
Every FILIPINO must join hands with Lila Pilipina, the National Historical Commission, Gabriela, Memorare Manila and other national organizations in supporting the comfort women statue.
Fighting revisionism is every Filipino's RESPONSIBILITY. The comfort women suffered enough and had been ignored for a long time. They kept their secrets for decades, even from their own families. In fact, most of them carried their dark past to the grave.
We cannot shame and degrade them all over again by disrespecting a statue built to honor and remember them.
We cherish our right to remember our history and pay our long overdue respects to the comfort women.
The presence of the statue is a revelation of our true history, a symbol of courage and dignity, a lighthouse for peace, a source of strength for Filipinos... for all humanity.
Signed by
- Rep. EMMI DE JESUS, Congresswoman Gabriela Partylist
- Sister MARY JOHN MANANZAN, St. Scholastica College
- Dr. BENITO LEGARDA, Memorare Manila
- Atty. DENNIS GORECHO, Documentor of Lola Henson's Biography
- TESSY ANG SEE, Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO), KAISA
- GERT LIBANG, Gabriela Alliance Vice Chairperson
- SHARON CABUSO, Lila Filipina
- Dr. RICARDO JOSE, UP Department of History
- Dr. KARL IAN CHENG CHIU, Ateneo School of Social Sciences
- AQUINO LEE, Wha Chi Liberation Movement Descendant
- UP LIPUNANG PANGKASAYSAYAN (UP LIKAS)
- Prof. MICHAEL CHUA, DLSU Department of History
- Prof. MICHAEL TAN, UP Diliman Department of Anthropology
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