AMBASSADOR-designate to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez is optimistic that the Balangiga bells will “soon” be returned to the Philippines after US Defense Secretary James Mattis assured President Duterte that he will do everything in his capacity to bring back the war artifacts.
During their meeting at an event in Pampanga, the envoy said the President requested the US official to help Manila in retrieving the bells, given its “sentimental value” to the Filipino people.
According to Romualdez, Mattis assured the Chief Executive that “he will do what he can.”
With the favorable reply, the Philippine diplomat said the bells’ return is certain that there will be a time the necessary authorization would come from the defense secretary.
He stated in Filipino that the good thing is, the defense secretary is the head of the US armed forces, and that there would be a day he could authorize the homecoming of the bells.
“For me, I am confident that we’ll get it back in a couple of years; no, not years—I think [it would be] sooner than later,” he declared. “[It would be] within our lifetime, but I think sooner than later since [talks] are already there.”
Before he leaves for Washington to assume his role as the Philippine representative to the US, Romualdez shared the latest information he received is that the law that prohibits the bringing of articles of war memorabilia is about to expire, and that the Philippines has American friends helping out.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim in July already said America is willing to return all three Balangiga bells to the Philippines at an earlier date as both sides explore resolutions.
The prominent bells were taken from the Balangiga Church in Eastern Samar by American troops as war booty from in 1901.
With a total of three bells, one is displayed at the 9th Infantry Regiment at Camp Cloud in South Korea, while the other two are in the former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.