President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to confer the Order of Lapu-Lapu on families who are descendants of the Balangiga tribesmen who fought colonial powers during the Philippine-American War of 1901.
“Kung malaman ko lang kung sino ‘yan sila lahat, bigyan ko ng ano [medals]. Totoo. It’s still possible to trace the families, descendants? May I kindly request you to do some research?” Duterte told local chief executives of Balangiga in his visit to the Eastern Samar town Thursday.
“They deserve the medals. Without necessarily, you know… America will understand that,” Duterte said.
“In honor of these poor souls na [who]–they did not want maybe to be under a foreign power. Tama ‘yan. Tama ang ginawa ninyo. Kung nandito rin ako [That was right. They did the right thing. I would have done the same],” he added.
The Balangiga encounter transpired on Sept. 28, 1901 when the locals of the municipality attacked the American soldiers, particularly Company C of the 9th United States Infantry Regiment.
The attack, led by Capt. Valeriano Abanador and signaled by the tolling of bells, caused fatalities to the American soldiers.
Taken by the American troops as war booties, the Balangiga bells are now at the Camp Red Cloud, US Base in South Korea, and at the former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at F.E. Warren Air Force Base at Cheyenne, Wyoming in USA.
On the 116th anniversary of the Balangiga uprising that dealt the occupying American troops a resounding defeat, Duterte said that the negotiations are under way to convince the United States government to return the town’s church bells.
Duterte added that he will try to be “friendlier” with the Western power as the country tries to take back the bells seized as booty.