might
be interest of some of you, apology for cross posting
Meena
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For immediate
release:
House Committee
Approves Filipino Comfort Women Resolution 124
March 11,
2008, Tuesday – The
Philippines’ House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved today HRN 124, a
resolution expressing the sense of the Philippine House of
Representatives and to back the Filipino comfort women’s
demand to seek for official apology and legal reparation from
Japan for its crimes on many
adolescent Filipinas during WWII.
Upon adjournment of the
hearing earlier conducted by the house foreign affairs committee, cheers and
applause resounded in the Batasan’s RMV Conference Room 14 as committee chairman
Hon. Antonio Cuenco, who presided the hearing, pronounced the committee’s
blessings to the resolution on comfort women. Representatives
of the Department of Foreign Affairs(DFA), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also gave their favorable
positions to the pending resolution. Just before the conclusion of the
proceedings of the committee hearing, each one was asked by the committee chair
if they hold any objection to the resolution being tabled to which all three
agencies replied in the negative.
HRN 124, or House
Resolution No. 124 (Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives that
the Philippine Government Urges the Government of Japan To Formally Acknowledge,
Apologize and Accept its Responsibility Over the Sexual Slavery of Young Women…)
submitted in the 14th congress, succeeds many other similar
resolutions submitted in the house in the past 16 years.
The now aging victims who
survived the Japanese military sexual slavery system who attended the hearing
were emotional after the favorable pronouncement by the committee chairman, as
this is the first resolution that was passed at the committee level throughout
their many years of lobbying in the house.
In the last 7 months,
countries such as the U.S.,
Canada,
Netherlands, and the European Union
have recently adopted resolutions in their parliaments in support of the
“comfort women.” The
Republic of
Korea and the Legislative Yuan
of Taiwan have long put into legislation their demand for redress from
Japan. The adoption of HRN 124
by the Philippines’ congress will intensify
the international pressure on Japan to address their legal
responsibilities to the victims.
The said hearing was attended by the representatives of all the
existing WW II survivor groups of Japanese wartime sexual atrocities, i.e. the
Lila Pilipina Lolas, the Malaya Lolas and the Lolas Kampanyera. The said
resolution was authored by Reps. Lisa Masa and Luz Ilagan of the Gabriela
Women’s party list, and by Rep.Eduardo Zialcita of the district of Paranaque
(Lakas party) and several other lawmakers. Atty. Harry Roque (UP Law professor),
Ms. Mariquit Soriano, Nelia Sancho and Natalie Kaye Ganipis
(supporters of the Lolas Kampanyera Organization and representatives of the
Buhay Foundation for Women and the Asian Women Human Rights Council), Corazon
Requiso (supporters of the Malaya Lolas and representative of the Kaisa Ka
Women’s Group), Rechilda Extramadura (coordinator of the Lila Pilipina Lolas
group) also gave their statements to endorse the tabled resolution on the
comfort women issue.
The approved resolution
will be presented at the plenary of the House of Representatives for approval as
soon as it is subjected to “style” and submitted to the Committee on
Rules.
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