Rape and Massacre in Ermita
The National Museum of the Philippines joins the annual 18-day campaign to end violence against women (VAW)! With this year’s sub-theme of “VAW Bigyang Wakas, Ngayon na ang Oras!”, we do our part of informing and educating the public about VAW through the objects in our galleries.
Today, we highlight Diosdado Lorenzo’s 1947 artwork ‘Rape and Massacre in Ermita’, part of the exhibition on World War II artworks at the Silvina and Juan C. Laya Hall, or Gallery VIII, of the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Supplementing our previous feature on Lenore RS Lim’s Comfort Women series, this exhibition also displays some artworks that depict the cruelty imposed by the Imperial Japanese Army against Filipinos, especially women.
This painting captures the haunting echoes of anguish and despair, its vivid colors evoking the chaos and destruction of war. Ermita became a battleground during the month-long campaign to liberate Manila, enduring relentless bombings, atrocities, and massacres as Japanese forces retreated. Countless lives—men, women, and children—were tragically lost during this devastating chapter in history.
May this painting serve as a reminder of the suffering, loss, and grief experienced by many innocent Filipinos, especially women, in this tumultuous part of our quest as a people for a free nation.