MANILA, Philippines — Sanya Lopez just can’t help but cry every time she talks about her experience of portraying a comfort woman in the GMA primetime series “Pulang Araw.”
Sanya plays the role of Teresita Borromeo in “Pulang Araw,” a woman subjected to military sexual abuse amid the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Preparing for the role had been an emotional journey, especially after personally hearing the stories of surviving comfort women.
“It’s really heavy. Artista lang po ako, sa totoo lang po. (I’m just an actress, to be honest). But I feel deeply for the struggles of the comfort women. I cried because when I first met them, I really felt this way. I’m sorry, I get very emotional about this because what happened to them during World War II is real,” shared the actress during the recent Pandesal Forum with the media at the Kamuning Bakery Cafe.
Sanya Lopez (right) and Ashley Ortega talk about their experiences portraying comfort women in the GMA primetime series ‘Pulang Araw.’
She was joined in the forum by co-star Ashley Ortega and advocates from the #FlowersforLolaCampaign, a coalition of NGOs and activists calling for collective action to honor comfort women survivors, official apology and reparations from the Japanese government, and the inclusion of their stories in history books.
Sanya particularly recounted her visit to Lila Pilipina, an organization of comfort women. “It’s sad that only two survivors are left there. They spoke up, asking when they’ll finally receive the justice they deserve, as they’re getting fewer. I’m sorry but when I spoke to them, I was completely shattered. It hurts so much to hear their stories because what happened to them is true, and it’s not a joke.”
Ashley and Sanya pose before an image of the allegedly stolen and ‘still missing’ Filipina Comfort Woman statue, which was controversially taken out of its pedestal in Roxas Boulevard, Manila in 2018. — Photo by Nilo Odiaman
One story that stayed with her was from Lola Narcisa. “She said that when she sees young people now, she feels happy for them. She said, ‘Maybe if I were in their shoes, I’d also be so happy.’ Just from that, I realized how fortunate our generation is to not have gone through what they suffered during the Japanese occupation. We’re really very lucky. So when I portrayed Teresita in ‘Pulang Araw,’ I came to appreciate their experiences even more and I drew inspiration from their stories to give my best, to bring authenticity to my role as Teresita.
“To our grandmothers who fought, who survived and defended their dignity as women, I salute you all for your strength. This show, ‘Pulang Araw,’ will serve as a voice for our comfort women. It’s their story, and I hope we support it. I hope this story will help their cause, and you are our inspiration. Mabuhay po ang comfort women.”
Ashley, on the other hand, plays a nun who also became a comfort woman. “Playing a comfort woman is really intense. When I found out that it was the role I’d be playing, I was honestly nervous at first because I wasn’t that aware of everything that the comfort women went through. But I’m so grateful I did some research, met the lolas and I was truly heartbroken,” she said.
“Ate Sanya was right — everyone in the room was crying. We had creatives there with us, and even they were in tears, not just us. Now that ‘Pulang Araw’ is telling the story of comfort women, I’m seeing comments, feedback and reviews of netizens (saying) they’re now aware. Many of them didn’t know that this happened during World War II. That’s also what we want to convey, especially for people like me who weren’t fully aware of what they endured.
“I think it’s time we (actors) tell the story of comfort women so that what happened back then doesn’t happen again,” she added, taking pride in being part of the historical program “Pulang Araw.”
Sharing more about her learnings from doing “Pulang Araw,” Ashley continued, “After I interviewed the two comfort women, I had realizations. Our generation is very fortunate. What we’re going through is nothing compared to what they went through. We have the privilege of living a comfortable life so I learned how to be satisfied with what I have. When I think about my problems, they seem so small compared to theirs. I learned to be tougher and more aware of the real problems in life.”
Meanwhile, members of the Flowers for Lola coalition expressed their appreciation for GMA Network and the stars of “Pulang Araw” for enlightening the public and the youth about wartime experiences.
Sharon Cabusao-Silva, director of Lila Pilipina, said that when they first met Sanya, Ashley, among others, they immediately saw that they were taking their roles very seriously.
“We’re very happy with the results — of how they’re playing their roles in the teleserye. A big thank you to the people on the creative side of this show. It is the first time that there is this kind of portrayal ng images ng kababaihan sa media na napaka-strong, history-based and powerful — that kind of rendition of the role of women,” she said.
“Maaaring isipin natin, they are victims. Actually, mix yung characters, even at this point, there are strong women characters, there are women who are victims, but I think you will be in for a surprise towards the end. We have to watch (‘Pulang Araw’) in its entirety. But the total framework of the entire (series) is rendering strong women… portrayals of strong women in mass media.”
Lawyer Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, who is the chair of Kaisa-Ka, the support group of Malaya Lolas (Free Grandmothers), an organization of comfort women based in Pampanga, noted that it will be 81 years since Nov. 23, 1944, the day of the attack on Barangay Mapaniqui in Candaba town in Pampanga.
“Hanggang ngayon sumisigaw pa rin ng katarungan ang Malaya Lolas. Naipagwagi na ito ng Malaya Lolas para sa lahat ng victims nung World War 2 atrocities in the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women,” she said, referring to the CEDAW decision released on International Women’s Day in 2023.
“Until now, our government has not addressed this yet, there’s no department order or executive order for the inclusion or integration (of the history) of our comfort women in our curriculum. Nothing is still being done to turn Bahay na Pula into a museum, and there has been no reparation for the grandmothers, even though there was a Senate hearing on this.
“Hopefully, the government can act faster, as out of the 98 grandmothers (in Malaya Lolas), only 18 are left. Along with Lila Pilipina and Lolas Kampanyeras, there are only 25 of our (grandmothers left).
“This is from nearly 200 documented comfort women. There are very few grandmothers left — they might pass away without seeing justice. We always say history repeats itself. History repeats itself only if we forget history,” Lacsa-Suarez said.
She also commended “Pulang Araw” for raising awareness about this dark part of history, saying it serves as a reminder to the young people and a way to inform them that this is what happened.
“We shouldn’t sanitize or sugarcoat it because the truth should be shown as it is. Hopefully, more TV series will depict our history,” she added.
“Pulang Araw” is shown daily Mondays to Fridays at 8 p.m. on GMA 7.
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