Content Presentation and Analysis of the Important Historical found in the
Document
The book entitled The Women of Mapanique, is a valuable work written by Nena
Gajudo, Gina Alunan and Susan Macabuag. It is about to the story of those Lolas who
is the victim of being a comfort women of Japanese soldier during Japanese Era. The
author become close to them during the interview and they had many sleep-less nights
in writing their testimonies.
After more than 55 years of silence of the Lolas, through this book all of what
happen during that time unveils, all of the damages that cause by the cruelty and
destruction of the Japanese soldiers to them. Its discovery, helps them to seek justice
and to have more courage to fight for their rights as a victim of mass rape. They started
calling their selves as the Malaya Lolas, they formed their own organization, gave
interviews to the press, and made their way to Tokyo, where they filed a suit with the
Japanese courts, demanding a formal apology, compensation, and the inclusion of their
story in official histories. However, they are still injustice since the Philippine
Government did not support them after being refused by the Japanese Government.
Year 2004, with the Philippine Supreme court they filed a petition to support their claim
but got dismissed again after 5 years with the reason that peace pact the Philippines
had signed with Japan in 1951. Nevertheless, the Malaya Lolas had already
compensated by the Japanese Government through private donations. While the red
house, when all the comfort women suffered was now turn into a museum.
Bahay na pula, it is one of the historical information found in the book. This
ancestral house is famous for its ghost stories, sounds of wailing girls and a ghost
platoon of Japanese soldiers are just some of the countless stories. the women of
Mapanique (a barrio near the house) and other places nearby were held by the
Japanese soldier were brought inside the house, and used them as “comfort women”,
some died during the stay in the house, crying and wailing for help. Comfort woman, are
women and girls forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldier in occupied countries
and territories before and during World War II. However, this historical information may
remind other people on what happened during the Japanese Era. Especially to the
Lolas who bring their pain and trauma until their last breath.
References:
The Malaya Lolas | VQR Online. (2021, January 1). The Malaya Lolas | VQR
Online. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from
https://www.vqronline.org/photography/2021/12/malaya-lolas
Bahay na Pula: A “ghost-hunter’s paradise”? (n.d.). THE
RAVEN REPORTER. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from
http://theravenreporter.weebly.com/bahay-na-pula-a-ldquoghost-hunterrsquos-
paradiserdquo.html
Comfort women - Wikipedia. (2014, August 8). Comfort Women - Wikipedia.
Retrieved December 5, 2022, from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women
