The Parish of Balangiga, Diocese of Cebu

The Balangiga bells of Samar were taken as spoils of war by the American soldiers stationed in the Philippines during the first years of its occupation. This was in consonance to the Treaty of Paris signed on December 10, 1898 with Spain selling the Philippines to the United States for the amount of $20 million.

It was on September 28, 1901 that Filipino patriots ambushed Company C of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the United States in Balangiga, Samar. Of the 78 men of the company 48 were killed and 22 wounded. In reprisal, General Jacob H. Smith ordered that Samar be burned, attendant to such act of vengeance for their shame the bells of the Balangiga church were taken down and brought to the United States.

Before the creation of the Archdiocese of Palo which now supervises the dioceses and parishes of Leyte and Samar, all of Samar and Leyte were under the Diocese of Cebu. The District of Samar was separated from the Province of Leyte in 1768, under it were the Vicariate of the Western Coast (its first member is the parish of Calbayog), Vicariate of the Northern Coast of Samar, and the Vicariate of the Eastern Coast of Samar.

The Vicariate of the Eastern Coast of Samar was composed of Balangiga, Guian, Salcedo, Hernani, Lanang, Borongan, Libas, Sulat, Tubig, Paric, and Oras.

Balangiga was created as a parish under the patronage of the martyr St. Lawrence, by Diocesan decree of September 27, 1858, through Superior approval on April 1, 1854, it separated from its mother parish, Guian. In the report of Fr. Felipe Redondo in 1886, according to Fr. Huerta, the Church has nipa roofing. It had an annex, the town of Quinapundan to the northeast. It also had the visitas (chapels) of Gigosa, Laoa-an, and Bulusao. To its north is Lanang, to its west is the town of Basey, and to its east is Guian (founded by the Society of Jesus then turned over to the Augustinian Fathers in 1768. It is under the patronage of the Immaculate Concepcion of the Virgin Mary. In 1795 it was given to the Franciscan Fathers).