The Balangiga bells are finally home

A century and 17 years after they were taken by American soldiers as war booty, the Balangiga bells are finally back home.

I was very honored to witness history unfolding as the US Air Force C-130 (named Spirit of MacArthur) — which departed from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan — touched down at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, bringing with it the three historic bells that the local parish church in Balangiga as well as the people of Samar and virtually all Filipinos have been waiting for.

With Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Felter, Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Ambassador Sung Kim and INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Philip Davidson.

I joined US Ambassador Sung Kim, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Felter and INDOPACOM (Indo-Pacific Command) Commander Admiral Philip Davidson in welcoming the bells home during a solemn ceremony.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Felter, along with Col. Leo Leibrich of the Pentagon, accompanied the two bells from Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Philadelphia where they were restored, then on to Okinawa where the third bell was waiting, and finally to the Philippines.

A screen grab from CNN documents the historic return of the bells to Philippine soil on Dec. 11, with (from left) US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Felter, US Ambassador Sung Kim and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

As I told both Pinky Webb and Karen Davila (hosts of CNN’s The Source and ANC’s Headstart, respectively), it really was a confluence of events, with many people — historians, legislators, private groups and individuals as well as US veterans — working hard and lobbying for the return of the bells over the years.

While the return of the bells may mean different things to many people, I believe it signals the respect that the United States has for the Philippines, recognizing our sovereignty as a nation.

The US C-130 plane named Spirit of MacArthur transported the bells from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

During the formal turnover ceremony last Nov. 14 at Warren Air Force Base, US Defense Secretary James Mattis told me that returning the bells was “the right thing to do.”

This was echoed by Ambassador Kim during the handover of the bells in Villamor Air Base, adding that the bells are an important symbol of Philippine independence. “The bells’ return reflects the strong bond and mutual respect between our nations and our peoples…It heralds our bright future as friends, partners and allies,” he said.

One of the bells is carefully lifted from the crate in preparation for a handover ceremony at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

For the Philippines, the bells signify healing and closure of a painful chapter in our history. As Secretary Lorenzana said in his speech, “It is time to look ahead as two nations should with shared history and as allies.”

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Felter, Pentagon’s Col. Leo Leibrich and a US airman of the C-130 accompanied the bells all the way from Wyoming to Philadelphia, Okinawa and finally to Manila.