MANILA - A Philippine senator on Wednesday urged the Philippine government to make good its promise to grant "just and meaningful reparations" for Filipino women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels.

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Senator Risa Hontiveros said there are only 18 surviving Filipino "comfort women" in the Philippines today, and it is about time to compensate them and their families.

Hontiveros also urged the Philippine government to find the missing "comfort women" statue erected on a boulevard fronting Manila Bay in December 2017. Japan protested the statue's erection and demanded that it be taken down

"Time is running out for the Philippine government to seek redress for and recognize the remaining women," she said.

Hontiveros reiterated her appeal following her meeting with the non-profit organization Malaya Lolas (Free Grandmothers), which is composed of Filipino survivors of sex slavery.

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"These Lolas (grandmothers) cannot wait any longer," Hontiveros said, adding that President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos' administration "must make good on their promise to extend aid and assistance" to the victims.

Hontiveros also visited Bahay na Pula, which was used by the Japanese army to perpetrate sexual violence. She said she hopes the government will rebuild the house and make it a memorial site for all the victims and survivors of wartime sexual violence.

Hontiveros also urged the Philippine government to find the missing "comfort women" statue erected on a boulevard fronting Manila Bay in December 2017. Japan protested the statue's erection and demanded that it be taken down. The seven-foot bronze sculpture, which depicts a blindfolded, grieving woman in a traditional Filipiniana gown, was removed in April 2018.

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Hontiveros, who has authored laws against sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation, has filed a resolution that urges the government to ensure just and meaningful reparations are given to Filipino "comfort women" and their families after a UN committee called out the Philippines on the elimination of discrimination against Women.

The UN panel said the Philippines failed to fulfill its treaty obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women by not seeking redress for "comfort women".