Solon urges Pres. Duterte to tackle Balangiga Bells issue with Trump

Makabayan solon, Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate on Tuesday urged President Duterte to bring up the subject of the Balangiga Bells before President Trump when they meet in the Philippines next week.

“Hinahamon natin si Pangulong Duterte, kung talagang chummychummy sila ni Donald Trump, gawin nila itong pagkakataon na i-assert yung pagbabalik ng Balangiga Bells (We’re challenging President Duterte, if he’s really chummy-chummy with Donald Trump, then he should treat this as an opportunity to assert the return of the Balangiga Bells),” Zarate told reporters following a press conference at the House of Representatives.

In his second State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last July, Duterte had called on the US – a longtime Philippine ally – to return the church bells that they took as war trophy over a century’s ago.

The church bells were taken by the US Army from the town church of Balangiga, Eastern Samar in the Philippines in 1901. This was after the American troops massacred local residents as a form of retaliation for a bloody ambush led by Filipinos.

The bells are kept by the US government in two locations; one is with the famed 9th Infantry Regiment at their base in Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, while two others are on a former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Trump, who assumed the White House seat last January, will be attending a series of regional meetings in the Philippines from Nov. 12 to 14. These include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) 50th anniversary celebration, the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

Zarate and the rest of the militant Makabayan bloc have vowed to greet the American leader with protests.

Zarate described the Balangiga Bells as a “symbol of Philippine independence.” The Davao-based lawmaker went as far to say that Filipinos deserve an apology and reparation from the US government.

“Dapat mag-issue rin ng apology, humingi ng paumanhin ang Estados Unidos. In fact may panawagan ngayon, kailangan magkaroon ng compensation in whatever form yung mga nabiktima nung massacre na ginawa ng America dyan sa Samar. (The US should also issue an apology and ask for forgiveness. In fact there are calls now, those who were victimized by America’s massacre in Samar should get compensation in whatever form),” the solon said.

Zarate, however, did not say how such compensation could be given especially since it’s been over 100 years since the bloody incident.

During the press conference, the Bayan Muna representative echoed old criticisms regarding the ASEAN being a useless bloc.

The Philippines is a founding member of ASEAN.