The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901.
STAR/KJ Rosales
MANILA, Philippines — The three Balangiga bells have returned to the Philippines on Tuesday after being taken by American troops as war trophies in 1901.
In his 2017 State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte demanded the return of the bells, echoing the call of each administration since former President Fidel Ramos who first raised the issue with Bill Clinton in 1993.
"It is time for healing. It is time for closure. It is a time to look ahead as two nations should with shared history and as allies," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said during the handover ceremony.
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The Balangiga Bells have arrived in the country after 117 years at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. The church bells were taken from the town of Balangiga, Eastern Samar by the United States Army as war loot during the Philippine-American war in 1901. STAR/KJ Rosales
The church bells will be returned to San Lorenzo de Martir church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar.
US Ambassador Sung Kim said returning the bells to the Philippines was "the right thing to do."
"It is my great honor to be here at the closing of a painful chapter in our history," Kim said. — Patricia Lourdes Viray