MANILA, Philippines — The return of the Balangiga bells to the Philippines brings a close to the Filipino-American war, Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced the return of the war-trophy church bells during a military ceremony in Wyoming on Thursday (Manila time).
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Romualdez attended the ceremony at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base, which formally began the repatriation of the bells taken by American soldiers from a church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar in 1901.
"The turnover ceremony was very simple. I rode with Secretary Mattis to come here to this site and the secretary just simply said in not so many words 'Ambassador, these bells are now officially going to be returned to the Philippines,'" Romualdez said.
The Philippine envoy stressed the significance of the event as it honors both Filipino and American soldiers who fought in World War II.
"The significance of this event is the fact that we honor all of those and the kind of relationship that we have with the United States," the ambassador said.
After the ceremony in Wyoming, the two bells will be shipped to a facility in Philadelphia where it will be refurbished before being returned to the Philippines.
The two bells will then be sent to South Korea and will be reunited with the third bell at the US Army air base, according to Romualdez.
"Hopefully, before the end of the year we should expect all three bells from Balangiga back in the Philippines," Romualdez said.
In his speech during the turnover ceremony, Mattis said the US returns the bells with consideration of the present but with the utmost respect of the past.
Mattis noted that Filipino soldiers fought with American troops during World War II and the Korean War. The Philippines also sent doctors and nurses in support of the US during the Vietnam War.
"Today, we aid the future generations by ensuring allies stand together in a future that is ours to shape; and so persuade potential adversaries that it simply isn’t worth it to gamble against Wyoming warriors who live by the cowboy code or their comrades-in-arms from the Philippines," Mattis said.