A statue honoring women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II was removed from Roxas Boulevard in Manila, angering women’s groups.
The Manila City Hall said in a statement that the bronze statue of a blindfolded Filipina, unveiled alongside Manila Bay last December, will be returned once drainage work is completed. It gave no time frame for the project, alarming activists who suspect that the Japanese government pressured the Philippines to take the monument down.
“What happened is that we kneeled down to the Japanese. That’s why it’s shameful, so shameful,” said Teresita Ang See, co-founding president of a Chinese-Filipino group.
Michael Charleston “Xiao” Chua, a professor at the De La Salle University Manila, called on the public to fight to get back the statue as a symbol of national dignity.
The monument was removed Friday night.
Japan’s Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Seiko Noda had expressed regret over the construction of the monument in January. According to Kyodo News service quoting the Japanese Embassy in Manila, the Philippine government had notified the embassy of its intention to remove the statue. (AP)
