Ashley Ortega shares why she wants to give justice to Sister Manuela role in ‘Pulang Araw’

Ashley Ortega remains committed to giving justice to her character in "Pulang Araw" despite the role being a great challenge for her.

In Lhar Santiago’s report on “24 Oras,” Friday, the Sparkle star said that it is a big responsibility for her to portray the narrative of the comfort women through the character of Sister Manuela Apolonio.

“Gusto ko talagang bigyan ng justice ‘yung role para sa lahat ng comfort women. ‘Yun na rin ‘yung parang tulong ko sa kanila kasi I think it’s about time for their stories to be heard,” she said.

Ashley also teased that there is a dedicated story for her character, which will tell more about her past.

“May mga flashbacks rin kung pa’no siya naging madre. Magugulat na lang din kayo kasi may transition din si Sister Manuela eh. Ayoko na lang sabihin,” she said.

In "Pulang Araw," Sister Manuela is forcibly enslaved by the Japanese imperial army as a comfort woman.

“Comfort women” refers to the women who were subjected to sexual slavery by the Japanese imperial army in countries like the Philippines, Korea, and China during World War II.

The few remaining Filipina survivors, who are in their late 80s or 90s, have been fighting for reparations from the Philippine and Japanese governments for decades.

In preparation for her role, Ashley and her co-star, Sanya Lopez, visited Filipino comfort women to learn more about their experiences. The actresses turned emotional as the women recounted what happened to them.

"Pulang Araw" airs weeknights on GMA Prime at 8 p.m. after "24 Oras."

— Carby Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News