Press Statement
February 27, 2008

MIGRANTE-Japan Demands Justice for the Filipina Rape Victim in Okinawa
Warns of Possible Cover Up

"Justice delayed is justice denied!"

This is the sentiment of Filipinos in Japan who are becoming restless about the seemingly orchestrated news blackout on the alleged rape of a Filipina in Okinawa, Japan by a U.S. army serviceman.

"How is the victim, and where is the bastard? Is this what they meant by taking the allegation seriously?" Rossana Tapiru, MIGRANTE-Japan spokesperson said referring to an earlier statement made by the U.S. military command in Okinawa in connection with the alleged rape.

"It appears that Filipinos are being duped once again by these Americans just like they did in the past", Tapiru said. "But what angers us most is the fact that the Philippine government has also done nothing. Apart from sending an embassy representative to Okinawa to look into the matter, what else has the Arroyo government done to ease the pain of the poor victim?" Tapiru added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that a representative from the Philippine embassy in Tokyo was dispatched to Okinawa last week to investigate. But since then, nothing is heard of and the identity of the alleged assailant remains unknown to this day.

"What are they trying to do, cover up the crime?" Tapiru asked. "The people are tired of cover ups. They had done this to "Nicole", the 22 year-old Filipina raped by four U.S. marines in November 2005 in Subic, and many times over when Clark Airbase and Subic Naval Base were the two largest U.S. military bases outside mainland U.S.A.", Tapiru laments.

Historical facts show that crimes perpetrated by U.S. military servicemen against Filipinos have always gone unpunished. Take the case of one U.S. soldier who escaped prosecution in 1991 for raping an 8 year-old girl when U.S. servicemen were forced out of Subic in the aftermath of Mt. Pinatubo's eruption. In 1987, after allegedly raping and killing a bar girl in Olongapo, another U.S. military serviceman skidded the Philippine justice system when he was slipped out of the country to escape prosecution. All-in-all from 1981 to 1988, 97 cases of sexual assaults, many involving young girls have been reported. All cases point to U.S. military servicemen as the assailants but were subsequently dismissed even before they reach the court.

"We do not want the Filipina rape victim in Okinawa to be another one just for the records. She has suffered enough, what she needs now is a swift a swift administration of justice. The Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government must step up its efforts to get to the bottom of this heinous crime, to ensure that the rights of the victim are protected, and to bring the 'bastard' to the halls of justice", Tapiru said.

"Migrant Filipinos in Japan are tired of empty promises. We have been working hard to support our families back in the Philippines and contributing immensely to the economy. We do not deserve to be duped of our hard-earned money, much less denied of government support whenever we need it", Tapiru added.

Migrante-Japan plans to picket the U.S. embassy in Tokyo to denounce the alleged rape, and the Philippine embassy and Consulate in Tokyo and Osaka, respectively, to force the Philippine government to act swiftly on behalf of the victim.###

For Reference: Contact Butch Pongos (0909219604997)