US to return Bells of Balangiga

They were taken as war booty in 1901, after an uprising by locals left 48 Americans dead

The Philippines has hailed plans by the US to return church bells that are more than a century old and taken in 1901 as spoils of war by American soldiers.

The Balangiga Bells became a symbol of American colonial conquest of the Philippines, marking a dark chapter between the two countries’ relations. “We welcome this development as we look forward to continue working with the US government in paving the way for the return of the bells to the Philippines,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement yesterday.

Trude Raizen, deputy press attaché at US Embassy in Manila, said yesterday the US is planning to push through with the return of bells but did not say when it would happen.

Retribution

“Secretary of Defence (Jim) Mattis has notified Congress that the department intends to return the Bells of Balangiga to the Philippines,” the presidential communications group quoted Raizen as saying.

The president’s office said the expected return comes after US President Donald Trump signed the US National Defence Authorisation Act of 2018 on December 12, 2017, giving the US Defence Secretary the authority to decide on the return.

The three Balangiga Bells were taken by American troops as war booty in 1901, after an uprising by locals left 48 American officers and men dead. In retribution, American General Jacob Smith ordered his men to turn Samar into a “howling wilderness”. In Balangiga and other parts of the province, all males above the age of 10 were shot to death.

One of the bells is with the 9th Infantry Regiment at Camp Red Cloud based in South Korea, while two others are at a former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at F.E. Warren airbase in Cheyenne, Wyoming.