A group of Filipino comfort women and other human rights organizations challenged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reveal the content of the reciprocal access agreement (RAA) that the Philippines and Japan aims to sign this year.

In a joint statement by Lila Pilipina, Gabriela, Bahaghari and other women’s groups, read by Sharon Cabusao-Silva, director of Lila Pilipina in a forum in Quezon City on Friday, the human rights groups claim that the government's failure to reveal details about the RAA is "deceptive and unacceptable".

"We challenged the administration of Presidential Ferdinand Marcos, Jr to reveal the content or provisions of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that the National Security Council has said is due to be signed by the Philippine and Japanese governments before the end of 2024," she said.

"Negotiations are being held in tight secrecy. It is a matter that involves our national sovereignty and Filipino women victims’ struggle to correct a historical injustice, yet the President simply sweeps these two critical concerns under the rug by saying these have nothing to do with the RAA,” Silva added, referring to Marcos recent statement during the forum with foreign media last week.

Silva noted that "it is adding insult to the decades-long injury inflicted by the Japanese Army on Filipino comfort women when President Marcos, Jr simply shrugs off the important question of which state shall have authority over erring Japanese soldiers when the comfort women question has remained unheeded by both the Philippine and Japanese governments up to now".

"Clearly, the RAA, negotiated under a dark cloud of secrecy, is deceptive and unacceptable,” she added.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas also stressed that the Filipino people has the right to know the details of the RAA before it is signed.

"The public has the right to know the content of this agreement, especially because the president said that it does not include information where a Japanese soldier who committed a crime in our country will be prosecuted. Don't you think that's dangerous because it is the same problem that we had with the issues in the Visiting Forces Agreement," she said. Robina Asido/DMS