MANILA — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday told Filipino comfort women that the Supreme Court (SC) has already made a decision, denying their call to compel the Philippine government to have the Japanese government apologize and compensate them for the sexual abuses they suffered during World War II.
“The Supreme Court has a decision unfortunately on this matter. And in fact I was counsel to the comfort women, I lost the case,” Roque said.
In April 2012, Roque stood as lawyer for Filipino comfort women and asked the high court to take into consideration a ruling by a Korean court dated August 2011 when deciding on their petition.
The Korean court ruled that blocking the release of compensation by the Japanese government for Korean comfort women was an “infringement of fundamental dignity and value of human beings,” according to the petition of the Filipino comfort women.
Roque, however, said that it was the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court to come up with the decision.
“The Supreme Court has said ‘pacta sunt servanda,’ the 1948 Peace Pact has barred any and all further cause for reparation, that is the jurisprudence,” Roque said.
Roque made this remark after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday removed the comfort woman statue along Roxas Boulevard in Manila to allow its flood control project.
This move drew protests from social activists who wanted to retain statue in its place to remind future generations about the atrocities committed by Japanese forces in the past.
President Rodrigo Duterte R. Duterte, for his part, said that the comfort woman statue could simply be transferred to somewhere else.
The President pointed out that the Japanese had already “paid early” since reparation has started “many years ago.” (PNA)
