Balangiga bells not trophies — Lorenzana

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana urged the Americans opposing the return of the Balangiga bells not to use the war booty as trophies.

“We call on the American people not to allow the bells to serve as trophies for atrocities that were committed by both sides on Philippine soil a very long time ago,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana, who is currently in Moscow, released a press statement thanking US Defense Secretary James Mattis for his effort in seeking the return of the bells to the Philippines.

He added the Philippine government is hoping that the US will follow through with their commitment and the return of the bells will become a reality.

“The return of the Balangiga bells will be a strong indicator of the sincerity of the Americans in forging a lasting relationship with the Filipino people and truly symbolic of what their government has referred to in the past as an ironclad alliance between our two countries,” he said.

Visiting US Defense Assistant Secretary for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver said they are working for the return of the bells despite opposition from some groups.

The bells were taken from the Balangiga Church in Samar by American troops as war booty following the “Balangiga massacre” in 1901.

One of the three bells has been displayed at the 9th Infantry Regiment in Camp Cloud in South Korea, while the other two have been at the former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at the FE Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

And while understanding the resistance of some quarters in the US against the return of the Balangiga bells to the country, Lorenzana said all must remember that both sides lost many precious lives during the Fil-American War with the Filipinos suffering many more deaths than the Americans.

“It was a dark chapter in the shared history of our peoples, which should never be allowed to happen again. Let us not forget, however, that the time came when we set aside our differences and fought side-by-side against a common enemy in World War 2. Currently, we are again working together to fight terrorism,” Lorenzana stressed.

“In this ever changing world, it is time to heal the wounds of the past, move on, and look to the future,” he said.