MALACAÑANG on Thursday, January 11, is confident that the recent installation of a Filipino comfort woman along Roxas Boulevard in Manila would not develop into a diplomatic issue for the Philippines and Japan.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. noted that the statue, which was recently erected, is "not a presidential project."
"I don't think it's really a diplomatic issue. No, (it would not be a diplomatic issue) because our ties with Japan remain very strong. We have every reason to be optimistic that bilateral relations with Japan will become even stronger," he told a press conference.
"It's not something the President will act on himself. We did not erect the statute so it's not a presidential project, so to speak," the presidential spokesperson added.
Roque's statement came following reports by Japan-based news firms that Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda expressed displeasure over the erection of the statue during her meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, January 9.
Noda, according to news reports, said "it's regrettable for this kind of statue to suddenly appear."
In a press statement released by Malacañang on January 9, Duterte reportedly told Japan that the Philippines' desire was "to make our bond stronger." However, there was no mention about Noda's alleged concern.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), along with officials of Manila City Hall, unveiled on December 8 the seven-foot bronze sculpture of a woman wearing a traditional Filipiniana gown and a blindfold.
The statue has an inscription that says, "This monument is a reminder of the Filipino women who were victims of abuses during the occupation of the Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945. It took a while before they came out into the open to tell their stories."
Around 1,000 Filipino women were forced to serve as "comfort women" when the Philippines became a Japanese colony from 1942 to 1945.
Four days after the unveiling of the monument, the Department of Foreign Affairs sought the Manila City Hall and NHCP's explanation over the statue erected.
Roque refused to further comment regarding the issue, stressing that the Palace has nothing to do with it.
"The statue is not erected by Malacanang. What are we supposed to do? Then, that should be addessed by the NHCP," Roque said.
"The President did not erect that statue. It's up to the people who erected that statue to do anything they want with it," he added. (VoxPop Philippines)
