Exactly 117 years after American troops looted three bells as war booties from the charred San Lorenzo de Martir Church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar, the US government has returned them. Short of describing this development as American capitulation, Presidential Spokesman Salvador S. Panelo credited the strong political will of President Duterte in pushing for the return of the church bells.
To recall, the President first made an appeal to the US to return the Balangiga bells during his second State of the Nation Address. The Chief Executive said: “Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours. They belong to the Philippines. They are part of our national heritage. The bells are reminders of the gallantry and heroism of our forebears who resisted the American colonizers and sacrificed their lives in the process.”
Duterte, indeed, walked the talk. When informed that three top US officials—US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of Defense James Mattis—have expressed their intention to meet with him for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the President said that, before anything else, the United States should first return the bells. “If they won’t return the Balangiga bells, then there’s nothing to talk about. I will not talk to them,” Duterte said.
Soon after, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim disclosed that there was an ongoing effort to facilitate the return of the artifacts. However, reports said veterans in Wyoming put up staunch resistance. With friends in the US Congress, they persisted in holding on to the bells even as consensus was building to “do the right thing.” US Navy Capt. Dennis Wright argued that any US claim to the bells on the basis of some deep attachment couldn’t be justified. He disclosed that in Wyoming, the bells had been ignored for decades, sitting in a warehouse unnoticed.
Defense Secretary James Mattis, after notifying the US Congress that the US Department of Defense intends to return the relics to the Philippines, went to Wyoming to assuage those who fear that the US would lose something by returning the bells. He told the veterans that “bells mark time, but courage is timeless.” He added: “By returning the bells of Balangiga to our ally and our friend, the Philippines, we pick up our generation’s responsibility to deepen the respect between our people.”
Then the US flew the bells to Manila in a large Air Force plane that is, likewise, full of symbolism. The aircraft is called the “Spirit of MacArthur”—named after Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Allied forces commander who liberated the Philippines from the Japanese in World War II.
Malacañang, calling the return of the three bells “a milestone,” thanked stakeholders who helped make the return of the bells possible, noting that it has further strengthened the friendship between the two countries. Panelo said: “We express our sincerest gratitude to all stakeholders from both the Philippines and the United States who worked tirelessly and selflessly for the return of the bells. This unprecedented gesture is well appreciated and will surely forge a stronger and more enduring relationship between the two long-time allies and friends as we finally close a tragic chapter in the two countries’ shared history.”
Now that a chapter that proved to be a source of irritation between the US and the Philippines has closed with the return of the Balangiga bells, it’s time to see the two countries move forward and work together for their mutual benefit.