Church bells seized from the Philippines by the US as war trophies over a century ago were returned on Tuesday, in a bid to turn the page on a difficult chapter between the historical allies.
Returning the three so-called Balangiga bells meets a decades-old demand from the former US colony at a time when the two nations’ ties have been rattled by President Rodrigo Duterte’s pivot to China.
An American C-130 Hercules cargo plane delivered the bells to Villamor Air Base, where Philippine and American officials gathered for a symbolic handover ceremony set for later Tuesday.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim led the handover of the bells to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana at Villamor Air Base.
“The decision to return the bells clearly reflects our shared values, shared history and our commitment to this relationship, relationship of equals, independence of our nation and mutual respect,” Kim said.
Among those who witnessed the turnover were US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Southeast Asia Joseph Felter and Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.
The public will be able to view the three bells from Dec. 12 to 13 at the Air Force Museum in Villamor Air Base. The two-day public viewing will be open to all, free of charge.
The bells will then begin the journey home to the local parish of Balangiga in Eastern Samar, where they are expected to arrive by Dec. 15, Defense Department spokesman Aresenio Andolong said.
The bells were said to have signaled a surprise attack by machete-wielding Filipino revolutionaries that killed 48 US troops on Sept. 28, 1901 in the central town of Balangiga.
In reprisal, the US commander Jacob Smith ordered the surrounding island of Samar be turned into a “howling wilderness” and that all Filipino males aged 10 or above be killed.
Thousands of Filipinos were slaughtered, the town was razed and the bells were carted off as trophies. Two had been on display at a US air base in Wyoming and the other in South Korea.
The return of the bells has been divisive with some US veterans and lawmakers, who see them as a tribute to fallen American troops while the Philippines hails them as a symbol of its struggle for independence.
American officials have emphasized the return is an important step in closing a painful chapter between the two nations, which have close military, cultural and trade ties.
Manila’s push for the bells’ repatriation began in the 1990s and has had backing from Philippine presidents as well as from the Catholic Church and historians.
Duterte, 73, bluntly called on Washington in a 2017 speech to “Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are not yours,” as he rattled his nation’s close alliance with the US.
Within months of winning the presidency in mid-2016, he signaled his intention to split from the Philippines’ former colonial master and end a standoff with Beijing over the disputed South China Sea.
Duterte’s supporters have claimed his willingness to stand up to American influence was key to the bells’ return, but experts cautioned the process was much more complicated.
“No single president can claim credit to it,” Francis Gealogo, history professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said. “The credit should be given to the Filipino people who campaigned vigorously and actively.”
A key factor was also major American veterans’ associations, including the largest group Veterans of Foreign Wars, dropping their opposition to the bells being given back.
“The return of the bells would be ‘the right thing to do’,” said a resolution the group approved in July calling on the US government to return them.
Malacañang described the US government as a “true friend” of the Philippine government for “working tirelessly” for the return of the Balangiga bells to their home in Eastern Samar.
“Stakeholders from both the Philippines and the United States worked tirelessly for the return of the Balangiga bells,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
“They will be remembered as true friends of the Philippines and of Filipino heritage,” he added.
“This marks an important milestone in and gives new meaning to the shared history between the Philippines and the United States.”
Panelo said President Duterte will be present during the turnover of the Balangiga bells to town officials in Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Dec. 15.
He earlier said Duterte would no longer attend the handover of the bells on Tuesday in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
Senator Risa Hontiveros hailed the bells’ return as an important milestone in Philippine-American relations.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines also welcomed the return of the bells.
Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP president, expressed gratitude to both the Philippine and United States governments for bringing back the bells to their rightful place.
“We thank in particular our present government, with the leadership of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, for bringing a most successful and happy conclusion to all these efforts,” Valles said in a statement.
“We also appreciate the very wise gesture of the US government in finally bringing back the bells of Balangiga to where they should belong, thereby giving ourselves the experience of a deeper sense of justice and respect between our peoples and consequently letting our friendship grow stronger,” the Davao archbishop added. With Macon Ramos-Araneta, PNA, AFP”‹