Malacañang remained unperturbed after a Japanese official expressed displeasure over a “Comfort Woman” statue erected along Roxas Boulevard, saying it would not affect the country’s ties with Japan.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the country’s bilateral ties with Japan remain strong even after Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda told President Rodrigo Duterte that “it’s regrettable for this kind of statue to suddenly appear” during their meeting in Manila.
The Malacañang official said the President would not act on it since he has no participation in the project.
The controversial statue was a project of the local government of Manila and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to memorialize Filipino women forced to be sex slaves of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.
“It’s not something the President will act on himself. We didn’t erect the statue so it’s not a presidential project, so to speak,” Roque said.
He suggested that the media address their questions to the NHCP or the Manila City Hall.
“I don’t think it is really a diplomatic issue, ‘no,” said Roque.
“We have every reason to be optimistic that bilateral relations with Japan will become even stronger,” he added.
