http://www.LivingInthePhilippines.comis theORIGINAL, firstPhilippines Expat site on the Net, since 1989. This is not one of many knock-offs, copycats, imitations. Some have permutations of the names,misspellings and "in" and "the" or "ing." left off to deceive you. This is the original, by: Don A. Herrington
The Bells of
Balangiga (By Leonardo Y.Pedroso,D.
D.
Bishop, Diocese of Borongan)
The Diocese of Borongan is
bringing to the attention of the entire Philippine
Church its struggle to recover the bells which one
hundred years ago were taken as war booty from the
church in Balangiga town. In its urgent appeal for
support in this struggle, the Diocese is asking the
bishops, the clergy and religious, and the lay
faithful throughout the country to take a close look
into the issue of the Balangiga Bells, and thereby
appreciate its implications as a nation and as a
Church.
The Issue
In a nutshell, the Bells of Balangiga are Church
bells. They are religious artifacts with
considerable significance in the Catholic tradition.
Among many other uses, they call people to prayer
and worship. As such they are inappropriate trophies
of war. Hence, they should be returned to the place
where they belong and to the purpose for which they
were cast and blessed. And since these bells belong
to the Roman Catholic Church of the Parish of
Balangiga, they should be returned to the Catholic
community of Balangiga.
The US government will not give up the bells. Its
reason is simple: the bells are the property of the
US government. Capt. Kathleen Cook of the Warren AFB
public information office puts it this way: "The
Catholic Church has no say in the matter. The bells
are property of the US government. Only Congress can
change the disposition of those bells" (Marguerite
Herman, Wyoming Catholic Register, December 1997)
These Church bells, seized as war booty in 1901 by
the US troops in the Philippines and presently
enshrined at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, have
taken on a special meaning both for the people of
the Philippines, who seek their return, as well as
those in the United States of America, for whom they
are sacred to the memory of the troops who died in
Samar nearly a century ago.
Currently the matter is under congressional
investigation. Recently, Sen. Craig Thomas (R‑Wyo),
again attempted to stonewall the return effort by
introducing language in the Defense Authorization
Bill, S. 1055, that would prohibit "the return of
veterans' memorial objects to foreign nations
without specific authorization law." Without
expressly naming either the object or the country
this refers to the Bells of Balangiga.
Historical Background
The Bells of Balangiga issue goes back to the
American involvement in the Philippines, which began
with the Spanish‑American War in 1898. The
Philippines was then a Spanish possession. After the
defeat of Spain, however, the United States decided
to retain possession of the Philippines rather than
grant the nation its independence. An insurrection
followed, which lasted more than three years and
cost the lives of 4,200 US troops and some 20,000
Filipino combatants. Thousands more Filipino died as
a result of famine and disease caused by the war.
The most infamous incident of the war occurred on
September 28, 1901, in the town of Balangiga,
located some 400 miles southeast of Manila on the
island of Samar. The church bells in Balangiga were
reportedly used to signal a surprise attack by
Filipino insurgents, many using machetes on an
American garrison posted in the town.
The attack left more than 50 US soldiers dead and
led to American reprisals. It was so severe that
they resulted in the reprimand of the American
commander, Gen. Jacob Smith. But it was also
effective as it shortened the insurrection to six
months.
Among the actions taken by the American troops
during the reprisals was the razing of several
Catholic churches in the area and the confiscation
of the Bells of Balangiga as trophies of war. They
now hang in a "trophy park" at the Warren Air Force
Base.
Current Positions
1. The Diocese of Borongan, to which the Parish of
Balangiga belongs, lays rightful ownership to the
Bells of Balangiga. Bishop Leonardo Y. Medroso, in
his letter to Bishop Joseph Hart of Cheyenne
Diocese, wrote: "I, however, resolve to write you
this letter of request for the simple fact that my
people in the town of Balangiga have more reasons to
reclaim and recover the possession of the said
bells. Records tell that the bells were property of
the local church in Balangiga when they were taken
by the American forces. As such they kept my people
in touch with lives of their parents and
grandparents, their past, their origin, their
religious sentiments, their culture. The market
value of the bells may not be that high, but the
collective sentiments that they have borne and
symbolized are priceless. It is for this that
through the years my people in Balangiga have been
longing to retrieve their church bells.
2. The American legions, the Amvets (American
military veterans), and some state legislators would
not have any part of that claim. They say that they
belong to the US government as they are legitimate
spoils of war. These bells enshrined the memories of
their dead ones, mercilessly massacred by
treacherous attacks.
3. The Philippines delegation, led by former
President Fidel Ramos and Ambassador Raul Rabe and
supported by some American legislators, has taken a
compromise position, namely, to have the two bells
recast and then give one original and one replica to
each country. This is the position that is accepted
and supported by the members of the United States
Catholic Conference (USCC). The Diocese of Borongan,
with much reluctance, agrees to this arrangements.
During its Plenary Assembly held on July 10‑12,
1999, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) has taken the position of the
Bishop of Borongan.
But the American veterans are adamant. The Bells of
Balangiga have to remain in F.E. Warren Air Force
Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In fact, this is the
reason for the action of Sen. Craig Thomas in
introducing language in the Defense Authorization
Bill, S. 1055, that would prohibit "the return of
veterans' memorial objects to foreign nations
without specific authorization in law."
Plea
The struggle to retrieve the Bells of Balangiga and
to restore them to their rightful owner is raging
on. The Diocese of Cheyenne is supporting us; the
National Bishops Conference of America is behind us;
some US legislators are sympathetic to our cause;
our government is not only active in its support, it
is initiating activities towards the return of the
bells and closely coordinating with our own
activities to retrieve them.
Now, we are asking, pleading for the support of the
entire people of God in the Philippines.
<<<
F R E E-
<< Click to
subscribe to Living, Retiring, Traveling, Doing Business and
Moving To The Philippines
FREE INFORMATION FROM
EXPATS, FOREIGNERS WHO TALK ABOUT LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES,
RELOCATION HERE AND DOING BUSINESS, TRAVELING OR RETIRING IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
