War veterans' efforts paved the way for return of Balangiga bells — historian
Did Duterte influence the return of Balangiga bells?
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte might have been vocal on his demands to the American government to return the Balangiga bells to the Philippines but the campaign was more of a veterans-to-veterans effort, a historian said.
Rolando Borrinaga, secretary of the National Committee on Historical Research of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, said that "in the American scheme of things, it boils down to paper trail."
"There has been no paper from the Philippines related to this campaign. It seems like a successful legislation in the US to return the bells to us," Borrinaga told ABS-CBN's Bandila on Tuesday night.
Two major war veteran organizations in the US have started the campaign to return the church bells taken from Balangiga, Eastern Samar as war booty more than a century ago.
About two or three years ago, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion started the campaign on convincing the larger community of war veterans in the US to return the bells to the Philippines, according to Borrinaga.
"They committed resolutions so that their national organizations... This basically influenced US politicians to pass the law allowing the return of the bells to the Philippines," Borrinaga said.
The two war veteran groups have convinced the US Congress to return the bells as it is the "right thing to do."
The Filipino historian was referring to the US National Defense Authorization Act of 2018, a special legislation "allowing the exception of transfer of veterans memorial objects to foreign countries without specific authorization in law."
Opposing views
Wyoming's legislators and veterans groups, however, have been opposing the return of the church bells that serve as a memorial for fallen American soldiers.
Two of the bells are at the F.E. Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyoming and the third one is with the US Army base in South Korea.
Steven Kravinsky, executive director of the Wyoming Veterans Commission, said the bells have an emotional attachment to Wyoming veterans.
"Sending them back would dishonor the soldiers that were killed in the Philippines," Kravinsky said in an interview with Wyoming Public Radio.
The return of the Balangiga bells to the Philippines would serve as a closure on the Philippine-American war, according to Borrinaga.
"The return of the bells is basically the last issue of contention pertaining to the Philippine-American war and there would be a closure over that aspect of our history," Borrinaga said.
The target date to return the bells to the country is by mid-December. The bells will be returned to the church in Balangiga where they were taken from as part of the original agreements between the veterans.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, along with Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, will attend a ceremony on Thursday (Manila time) at F.E. Warren Air Force Base that would mark the beginning of the process to return the bells to the Philippines.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo says Malacañang welcomes the United States' return of the Balangiga bells to the Philippines but adds that it will withhold any further comment on the matter "until the last bell has been properly delivered to the country."
"In the words of the president himself: 'It ain't here until it's here,'" he says as quoted by the state-run news agency PTV.
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said he would meet with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on November 15 (Manila time) and would release an official statement after a military ceremony for the repatriation of the Balangiga bells.
The three bells were taken by American soldiers as war booty more than a century ago.
President Rodrigo Duterte has demanded the return of the bells to the Philippine soil in multiple speeches.
Ties of the Philippines with its longtime ally, the US, has soured after criticisms on human rights violations in Duterte's war on drugs.
Duterte had similarly raised rights violations committed by the United States, particularly the killing of Moros at Bud Dajo in 1906.
So will he or will he not? Malacañang gives mixed signals on whether President Duterte will attend the ceremonial turnover of the Balangiga Bells, which were transported all the way from Wyoming and Okinawa before it arrived in Manila earlier this week.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo says Duterte will not attend the Mass at the turnover ceremony. "He has heard all the masses in the world. But he wil be there," Panelo says.
This was after the Palace announced days ago that Duterte would skip the ceremony without giving specific reasons.
The president, over the past couple of years, has been expressive of his unfriendly views toward the United States.
President Rodrigo Duterte changes his mind and will now be attending the turn-over ceremonies of the Balangiga bells to local officials in Samar on Saturday, December 15.
The announcement is made hours after the Palace reiterated Wednesday that the president will be skipping the event due to "pressing matters of governance."
Rody now going to attend turn-over ceremonies of Balangiga bells to local officials in Samar on Dec. 15, hours after the Palace announced the President initially skipping the event anew. ???? pic.twitter.com/hbFmFTDPum
— christina mendez (@xtinamen) December 12, 2018
The Diocese of Borongan and the parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish of Balangiga, Eastern Samar launch a website for the historic bells.
On it, they express their gratitude to "individuals and groups who have worked, lobbied and prayed for the eventual return of the Balangiga Bells."
"Please be assured that we will return the bells to their original religious purpose—and care and cherish them as a precious legacy of the profound faith, heroism and courage of our forebears," the text on the website reads.
The Balangiga bells are displayed for public viewing on Wednesday and Thursday (December 12 and 13) from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
Visitors are advised to observe the dress code and other rules:
- No sandos
- No slippers
- No flash photography
- No video recording
- No food and drinks
- No touching of displays
The bells will be turned over to the parish in Balangiga, Eastern Samar.
The Balangiga Bells are home after a long journey from the United States and Japan. They are currently being offloaded from a US Air Force aircraft at the Villamor Air Base.
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