Latest news with #Filipino-Chinese
Borneo Post
09-07-2025
- Borneo Post
Survivors of wartime sexual slavery in the Philippines still await justice
Survivors of Filipina comfort women and descendants of Filipino-Chinese guerrilla fighters pose for a group photo in Mapanique of Candaba in Pampanga province on July 6, 2025. – Xinhua photo MANILA (July 10): As the rain subsided over Mapanique, a quiet village nestled in the rice fields of Candaba in Pampanga province, the Philippines, the air seemed to still carry the dust of the 1940s. On the morning of July 6, 10 elderly women gathered in a small courtyard under a makeshift canopy. The youngest was 92, the oldest 96. They are survivors, Filipina comfort women who endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II. Though more than 80 years have passed, tears streamed down the faces of several women as they recalled the trauma they had long carried in silence. When they learned that among the visitors were descendants of Filipino-Chinese guerrilla fighters who resisted the Japanese occupation, one of the women quietly said: 'Thank you for remembering.' At the gathering, the survivors sang a haunting ballad written especially for them: 'Please Let the Heart of Grandmother Be Healed.' One line stood out with brutal clarity: 'We were suffocating, longing to die. Our bodies and souls were torn apart.' These were not poetic metaphors, but painful truths, they had lived through some of the darkest chapters of human suffering. On November 23, 1944, Japanese forces raided Mapanique, accusing villagers of aiding guerrilla fighters. The village was sealed off. Men were rounded up, tortured, or killed. Homes were burned to the ground. Young women were dragged away and taken to the now notorious Bahay na Pula (Red House) in neighboring Bulacan province, where they were subjected to systemic rape and enslavement. The atrocity is scarcely mentioned in textbooks, but its scars remain etched into the bodies and memories of the survivors. Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, a leading Filipino human rights lawyer who has long championed the cause of the Malaya Lolas, as the survivors are known, has been a tireless advocate for official recognition and reparations. 'These women have waited for over 80 years,' Suarez said. Survivors of Filipina comfort women gather in a small courtyard to denounce unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II, in Mapanique of Candaba in Pampanga province on July 6, 2025. – Xinhua photo 'Not a single word of apology, not even a recognition of wrongdoing has come from the Japanese government. That silence is a second wound, one deeper than the first.' Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Suarez said: 'Justice begins with the admission of wrongdoing. You cannot deny what happened to the Lolas. 'It is important for the Filipino people, and for the world, to remember, because only through remembrance can we prevent such atrocities from happening again.' As the women sat beneath the simple shelter, their voices continued to linger in the air: 'Give us justice. Acknowledge the pain we endured.' It was not just a song. It was a decades-long cry for truth. The issue of comfort women has drawn international attention over the years from Korea, China, and across Southeast Asia, expressed in different languages at different places, but echoing the same cries of anguish. Yet today, even as the world commemorates 80 years since fascism's defeat, there are still those who try to diminish, distort, or deny what happened. As Suarez reminded us: 'We always say history repeats itself. But history only repeats itself when we forget.' Survivors of Filipina comfort women gather in a small courtyard to denounce unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II, in Mapanique of Candaba in Pampanga province on July 6, 2025. – Xinhua photo The women under the canopy were outwardly calm, sitting there with quiet dignity. But within them burns a resolve, shaped by sorrow and memory. They do not know how many more years they have left to wait. – Xinhua China comfort women Philippines Xinhua
The Star
09-07-2025
- General
- The Star
Filipina comfort women still await justice
Filipina comfort women survivors gather in a small courtyard to denounce unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II, in Mapanique of Candaba, Pampanga province, the Philippines, July 6, 2025. - Xinhua MANILA: As the rain subsided over Mapanique, a quiet village nestled in the rice fields of Candaba in Pampanga province, the Philippines, the air seemed to still carry the dust of the 1940s. On the morning of July 6, ten elderly women gathered in a small courtyard under a makeshift canopy. The youngest was 92, the oldest 96. They are survivors, Filipina comfort women who endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II. Though more than 80 years have passed, tears streamed down the faces of several women as they recalled the trauma they had long carried in silence. When they learned that among the visitors were descendants of Filipino-Chinese guerrilla fighters who resisted the Japanese occupation, one of the women quietly said, "Thank you for remembering." At the gathering, the survivors sang a haunting ballad written especially for them, "Please Let the Heart of Grandmother Be Healed." One line stood out with brutal clarity, "We were suffocating, longing to die. Our bodies and souls were torn apart." These were not poetic metaphors, but painful truths. They lived through some of the darkest chapters of human suffering. On November 23, 1944, Japanese forces raided Mapanique, accusing villagers of aiding guerrilla fighters. The village was sealed off. Men were rounded up, tortured, or killed. Homes were burned to the ground. Young women were dragged away and taken to the now notorious Bahay na Pula ("Red House") in neighbouring Bulacan province, where they were subjected to systemic rape and enslavement. The atrocity is scarcely mentioned in textbooks, but its scars remain etched into the bodies and memories of the survivors. Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, a leading Filipino human rights lawyer who has long championed the cause of the Malaya Lolas, as the survivors are known, has been a tireless advocate for official recognition and reparations. "These women have waited for over 80 years," Suarez said, "Not a single word of apology, not even a recognition of wrongdoing has come from the Japanese government. That silence is a second wound, one deeper than the first." Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Suarez said, "Justice begins with the admission of wrongdoing. You cannot deny what happened to the Lolas. It is important for the Filipino people, and for the world, to remember, because only through remembrance can we prevent such atrocities from happening again." As the women sat beneath the simple shelter, their voices continued to linger in the air, "Give us justice. Acknowledge the pain we endured." It was not just a song. It was a decades-long cry for truth. The issue of comfort women has drawn international attention over the years from Korea, China and across South-East Asia, expressed in different languages at different places, but echoing the same cries of anguish. Yet today, even as the world commemorates 80 years since fascism's defeat, there are still those who try to diminish, distort or deny what happened. As Suarez reminded us, "We always say history repeats itself. But history only repeats itself when we forget." The women under the canopy were outwardly calm, sitting there with quiet dignity. But within them burns a resolve, shaped by sorrow and memory. They do not know how many more years they have left to wait. - Xinhua
Malaysia Sun
08-07-2025
- General
- Malaysia Sun
Survivors of wartime sexual slavery still await justice
"Justice begins with the admission of wrongdoing. You cannot deny what happened to the Lolas. It is important for the Filipino people, and for the world, to remember, because only through remembrance can we prevent such atrocities from happening again." by Xinhua writer Nie Xiaoyang MANILA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- As the rain subsided over Mapanique, a quiet village nestled in the rice fields of Candaba in Pampanga province, the Philippines, the air seemed to still carry the dust of the 1940s. On the morning of July 6, 10 elderly women gathered in a small courtyard under a makeshift canopy. The youngest was 92, the oldest 96. They are survivors, Filipina comfort women who endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II. Though more than 80 years have passed, tears streamed down the faces of several women as they recalled the trauma they had long carried in silence. When they learned that among the visitors were descendants of Filipino-Chinese guerrilla fighters who resisted the Japanese occupation, one of the women quietly said, "Thank you for remembering." At the gathering, the survivors sang a haunting ballad written especially for them, "Please Let the Heart of Grandmother Be Healed." One line stood out with brutal clarity, "We were suffocating, longing to die. Our bodies and souls were torn apart." These were not poetic metaphors, but painful truths, they had lived through some of the darkest chapters of human suffering. On November 23, 1944, Japanese forces raided Mapanique, accusing villagers of aiding guerrilla fighters. The village was sealed off. Men were rounded up, tortured, or killed. Homes were burned to the ground. Young women were dragged away and taken to the now notorious Bahay na Pula ("Red House") in neighboring Bulacan province, where they were subjected to systemic rape and enslavement. The atrocity is scarcely mentioned in textbooks, but its scars remain etched into the bodies and memories of the survivors. Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, a leading Filipino human rights lawyer who has long championed the cause of the Malaya Lolas, as the survivors are known, has been a tireless advocate for official recognition and reparations. "These women have waited for over 80 years," Suarez said, "Not a single word of apology, not even a recognition of wrongdoing has come from the Japanese government. That silence is a second wound, one deeper than the first." Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Suarez said, "Justice begins with the admission of wrongdoing. You cannot deny what happened to the Lolas. It is important for the Filipino people, and for the world, to remember, because only through remembrance can we prevent such atrocities from happening again." As the women sat beneath the simple shelter, their voices continued to linger in the air, "Give us justice. Acknowledge the pain we endured." It was not just a song. It was a decades-long cry for truth. The issue of comfort women has drawn international attention over the years from Korea, China, and across Southeast Asia, expressed in different languages at different places, but echoing the same cries of anguish. Yet today, even as the world commemorates 80 years since fascism's defeat, there are still those who try to diminish, distort, or deny what happened. As Suarez reminded us, "We always say history repeats itself. But history only repeats itself when we forget." The women under the canopy were outwardly calm, sitting there with quiet dignity. But within them burns a resolve, shaped by sorrow and memory. They do not know how many more years they have left to wait.
Malaysia Sun
07-07-2025
- General
- Malaysia Sun
Feature: Survivors of wartime sexual slavery still await justice
by Xinhua writer Nie Xiaoyang MANILA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- As the rain subsided over Mapanique, a quiet village nestled in the rice fields of Candaba in Pampanga province, the Philippines, the air seemed to still carry the dust of the 1940s. On the morning of July 6, 10 elderly women gathered in a small courtyard under a makeshift canopy. The youngest was 92, the oldest 96. They are survivors, Filipina comfort women who endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Japanese invaders during World War II. Though more than 80 years have passed, tears streamed down the faces of several women as they recalled the trauma they had long carried in silence. When they learned that among the visitors were descendants of Filipino-Chinese guerrilla fighters who resisted the Japanese occupation, one of the women quietly said, "Thank you for remembering." At the gathering, the survivors sang a haunting ballad written especially for them, "Please Let the Heart of Grandmother Be Healed." One line stood out with brutal clarity, "We were suffocating, longing to die. Our bodies and souls were torn apart." These were not poetic metaphors, but painful truths, they had lived through some of the darkest chapters of human suffering. On November 23, 1944, Japanese forces raided Mapanique, accusing villagers of aiding guerrilla fighters. The village was sealed off. Men were rounded up, tortured, or killed. Homes were burned to the ground. Young women were dragged away and taken to the now notorious Bahay na Pula ("Red House") in neighboring Bulacan province, where they were subjected to systemic rape and enslavement. The atrocity is scarcely mentioned in textbooks, but its scars remain etched into the bodies and memories of the survivors. Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, a leading Filipino human rights lawyer who has long championed the cause of the Malaya Lolas, as the survivors are known, has been a tireless advocate for official recognition and reparations. "These women have waited for over 80 years," Suarez said, "Not a single word of apology, not even a recognition of wrongdoing has come from the Japanese government. That silence is a second wound, one deeper than the first." Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Suarez said, "Justice begins with the admission of wrongdoing. You cannot deny what happened to the Lolas. It is important for the Filipino people, and for the world, to remember, because only through remembrance can we prevent such atrocities from happening again." As the women sat beneath the simple shelter, their voices continued to linger in the air, "Give us justice. Acknowledge the pain we endured." It was not just a song. It was a decades-long cry for truth. The issue of comfort women has drawn international attention over the years from Korea, China, and across Southeast Asia, expressed in different languages at different places, but echoing the same cries of anguish. Yet today, even as the world commemorates 80 years since fascism's defeat, there are still those who try to diminish, distort, or deny what happened. As Suarez reminded us, "We always say history repeats itself. But history only repeats itself when we forget." The women under the canopy were outwardly calm, sitting there with quiet dignity. But within them burns a resolve, shaped by sorrow and memory. They do not know how many more years they have left to wait.
The Standard
21-04-2025
- The Standard
Kidnap and murder of Filipino-Chinese steel tycoon shows an alarming trend in Philippine abductions
Staff reporter The Philippines is witnessing an alarming increase in the number of foreigners - particularly wealthy Chinese businessmen - being kidnapped, with some observers suspecting police complicity in these crimes. The allegations come after the abduction and murder of Anson Que, a Filipino-Chinese businessman known as the "Steel King," along with his driver, according to an investigative story by East Week magazine,a sister publication of The Standard. Following the arrest of two Filipinos on April 18 in connection with Que's case, authorities apprehended a Chinese national the following day, who is suspected of being a key member of various local organizations and is believed to be involved in at least five other kidnappings. Reports indicate that Que was lured to a meeting with a Chinese woman in Bulacan province, where he was subsequently abducted. Despite the payment of a total ransom of HK$29 million in cryptocurrency across three transactions on March 30, both Que and his driver were murdered, with their bodies discovered in Rodriguez, Rizal, on April 9. The 58-year-old businessman - originally from Yongchun, Fujian province - immigrated to the Philippines in 1985 and started his steel trading business in 1990. Over the years, he expanded his ventures into real estate, agriculture, and the restaurant industry, actively engaging in various Chinese community organizations in the Philippines. He was the founding president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and was the former president of a Yongchun County general association in the country. The Philippine police said that they are pursuing two additional suspects of Chinese nationality, who are believed to be the masterminds behind the kidnapping and murder. Kidnappings on the rise Que's tragedy is not an isolated incident in the Philippines, where 92 kidnappings were recorded in 2023. Over 20 percent of the victims were killed, indicating that it is not uncommon for kidnappers to execute their victims following ransom payments. Wealthy foreigners in the country are increasingly hiring bodyguards to ensure their safety, and local commentators says that kidnapping has become a "business" for local gangs, with potential involvement from terrorist organizations and international crime syndicates. The Abu Sayyaf Group, an anti-government armed organization, infamously engaged in kidnappings of tourists and locals in the early 2000s, demanding ransoms in excess of HK$18 million and also pressured the Philippine government to withdraw its military from the Jolo areas. There have also been incidents involving collaborations between kidnappers and expatriates in the Philippines. A notable case involved a Japanese individual living in Manila who allegedly invited a Japanese friend to the Philippines, subsequently conspiring with two Filipino accomplices to carry out the kidnapping in 2018. An anti-kidnapping unit was established by the Philippine police in 2012 to investigate kidnapping groups and pursue suspects. However, the rising number of cases has fueled suspicions of possible complicity within law enforcement agencies. Li Kaisheng, vice president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, has accused the Philippine government of incompetence and corruption, suggesting that some police officers may be involved in kidnapping operations. In one of the cases, in which a South Korean businessman was kidnapped and killed in 2016, it was revealed that three police officers were among the kidnappers. Chinese increasingly targeted With the number of Chinese businessmen in the Philippines on the rise, kidnappers have recently shifted their focus toward the Chinese community, recognizing that these families are more likely to pay ransoms as they often distrust local law enforcement. According to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, cases involving Chinese nationals constituted 30 percent of all kidnapping incidents in 2023, affecting both tourists and individuals working in the Philippines. Some emphasize the necessity for enhanced oversight of law enforcement agencies to combat corruption and address the ongoing issue of kidnapping in the Philippines. Senator Joel Villanueva has voiced his concern regarding the alarming rise in abduction cases, noting the issue affects not only the Chinese community but the entire nation. He has urged authorities to take swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
