Gov’t Succeeds in Bringing Balangiga Bells Back

After over a century, the Philippines has succeeded in having the historic Balangiga bells returned to the country.

It took decades of lobbying and the effort of government, church, veteran and history groups to convince the U.S. to return the bells taken as war booty during the Filipino-American War.

In 2017, in his State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte called on the U.S. to return the bells because he said, “they belong to the people.”

In an interview, retired consul general Sonny Busa said the group that lobbied for the return of the bells had to cast the message that the bells belong to the people, to call the people to church.

“Then we were able to sway some minds that this is not a military symbol but a symbol of peace,” Busa said. The movement further gained traction when it earned the support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. which made persuading politicians easier.

Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez said President Duterte also personally told U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to return the bells during an ASEAN+3 meeting in October 2017.

According to Romualdez, Mattis was at the forefront of the process of returning the bells to the Philippines. The bells will be handed over to the Philippines in a ceremony at Villamor Air Base on Dec. 11 and finally home to Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Dec. 15. (NBQ/PIA 8-E. Samar)