28/11/2025
On the 81st anniversary of the Siege of Mapanique, we honor the Malaya Lolas—survivors of the mass r**e and sexual slavery inflicted by the Japanese Imperial Army. Eighty-one years later, they continue to fight despite state neglect. Their struggle is a testament to courage; the government’s continued failure is a testament to injustice.
The Philippine government has yet to fulfill the landmark UN CEDAW ruling that found the State in violation of its obligations to the Lolas. Instead of reparations, official recognition, and a formal apology, the government offered token financial aid—an act that trivialized decades of suffering. Today, only a few Lolas remain, many frail and bedridden. Every day of inaction is a conscious choice to let them die without justice, turning neglect into another form of violence.
Their story is part of a global pattern of militarized sexual abuse—from “comfort women” across Asia to survivors in Africa, Europe, and Indigenous territories. These are not isolated wartime horrors but symptoms of entrenched patriarchy and militarism that weaponize women’s bodies and allow perpetrators to act with impunity.
KAISA KA stands with the Malaya Lolas and all survivors of military sexual violence. We demand: full compliance with the CEDAW ruling; reparations, recognition, and apology; accountability for all perpetrators; the dismantling of patriarchal and militarist systems; and the integration of the Lolas’ history into national memory so their truth endures.
The Malaya Lolas remind us that remembrance is resistance. Their courage across eight decades calls us to confront militarism, challenge patriarchy, and build a future where no woman, child, or marginalized person is ever silenced or erased.
Justice for the Malaya Lolas. Justice for all survivors of wartime sexual violence. From Mapanique to today, the fight for women’s liberation is the fight for collective freedom.
