Eighty-one years after World War II ended, the experiences of women who endured violence during the war continue to call for recognition.
This was at the heart of Courage in Chaos: Narratives of Women and War, an exhibit spearheaded by Lila Pilipina and presented at the Manila Clock Tower Museum. The exhibit features photographs, paintings, and other works. Together, they offer a glimpse into the experiences of women during wartime, particularly Filipino comfort women.
Manila Clock Tower Museum curator Rose Mendiola welcomed the exhibit on behalf of Manila Tourism Director Cristal Bagatsing. She expressed the museum’s support for the exhibition and its focus on women’s experiences during war.
Mendiola said the exhibit gives visitors a chance to better understand the experiences of women forced into sexual slavery as comfort women.
“This exhibition will enlighten a lot of people about women, especially mga comfort women po natin.”
Courage Beyond the Battlefield
For Manila City Councilor Jefferson Lau, the gathering was more than an exhibit opening.
“We gather together today not simply to open a photo exhibit, we gather to remember,” he said.
Lau emphasized that the end of the war did not mean the end of suffering. For many survivors, its effects continued long after the fighting stopped. “The experiences of the women remembered in this exhibit are therefore more than chapters in history, they are deeply human stories,” he said.
These stories carry “pain, survival, dignity, courage, and the continuing search for justice and peace.” For Lau, remembering should also lead to action. He especially pointed to the role of younger generations.
“History should not merely tell them what happened, it should also challenge them to ask what must we do so that such suffering is never repeated,” he said.
He added, “The greater purpose of remembrance is not to reopen old wounds, but to make certain that humanity learns from them.”
Keeping the Stories Alive
For Tessy Ang See, convenor of the Flowers for Lolas campaign, remembering also means keeping the issue visible.
The group was formed in 2018 after a monument honoring comfort women was removed. Since then, it has supported exhibits, plays, university activities, and other efforts to bring their stories to more people.
“Because we can never forget, we should never forget so that the wars of our fathers are not visited again to anyone, especially in our country,” Ang See said.
She also stressed the urgency of the campaign. The number of surviving comfort women continues to decline. “They deserve all the help that we can give,” Ang See said. She added that Flowers for Lolas will continue sharing their stories with the public.
Turning Memory Into Action
Gabriela Women’s Partylist Representative Sarah Elago connected remembrance with the need for concrete government action.
She called for efforts that include compensation, education, and memorialization.
“It’s not enough that there is a position, statement or salita lang,” she said. She stressed that efforts for survivors must also receive substantial funding.
Elago also called for the stories of Filipino comfort women to become part of the country’s education system. She urged stronger support for historical and heritage preservation as well.
A Responsibility to Remember
Ultimately, Courage in Chaos is more than an exhibit about what happened during the war. It is also a reminder of what can happen when stories are forgotten. It shows why remembering remains an act of responsibility.
As Ang See shared, the dwindling number of survivors makes that responsibility even more urgent. She called on audiences to keep learning about the women who endured wartime violence.
She also urged them to pass these stories on. “We hope you can tell and share stories like this with others.”
Their stories may belong to another generation. But the responsibility to remember belongs to the generations that follow.
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