PH ‘comfort women’ struggle for apology from Japan

AS ONE of the Philippine women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops during World War 2, Isabelita Vinuya, from Pampanga province, lived in the hope that she would get justice from the Japanese government for their mass violence nearly eight decades ago.

The hope to live long enough to receive the apology compensation for her ordeal as a “comfort woman” died on Nov. 23, 2021, when Vinuya succumbed to pneumonia at age 89.

Like many victims of Japanese wartime atrocities, Vinuya passed away without seeing justice. “Lola,” a Tagalog word that means grandmother, refers to the aging Filipino “comfort women” victims as a group. What happened to Vinuya could also happen to other Lolas.