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“Comfort Women” Historians estimate there were between 80,000 and 200,000 comfort women during World War II. Of these many were from the Korean peninsula, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. (“Comfort women protest texts,” UPI, 2 May 1997) More than half of the 169 comfort women survivors in the Philippines were below age 20 when kidnapped by the now-defunct Japanese Imperial Army troops. “Comfort women protest texts,” UPI, 2 May 1997) Australian and American men have taken “temporary wives” during their stay in the Phillippines, to abandon the women and any children afterwards. (CATW – Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific) Official Corruption & Collaboration Many police officers and government officials have sexually assaulted or exploited girls in the Philippines. Congressman Romeo Jalosjos raped a 12-year-old girl.
Binan Mayor Bayani Alonte was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. Former Quezon Representative Manolet Lavides was involved in the prostituting of 4 high school students of Novaliches High School. Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan was involved in the cases of a 16-year-old model being prostituted by a talent manager, Jojo Veloso. 5 policemen in San Fabian, Panagasinan were accused of raping an 11-year-old girl inside police barracks. 4 policemen on duty were implicated in the rape of a 17-year-old girl inside the police station in Luneta.
SPO2 Roel Waga, police investigator in Bgy. Puerto, Cagayan City was involved in the sexual harassment of a 13-year-old girl. (Gabriela, Statistics and the State of the Philippines, 24 July 1997) Factbook Table of Contents CATW Homepage Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation Donna M. Hughes, Laura Joy Sporcic, Nadine Z. Mendelsohn and Vanessa Chirgwin www. uri. edu/artsci/wms/hughes/philippi. htm