Blackmail

Americans may be running out of excuses not to return the Balangiga bells. I don’t know Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-Illinois) and Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts) – co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission – but the latest excuse for not returning is ridiculous if not mad.

The two US congressmen wrote US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis  that “the US should not provide certification for the return of the Balangiga bells until the Philippine government puts an end to the extrajudicial killings because of its brutal drug war.” Either these US congressmen are stupid or they have decided to show up two things: they do not understand that not returning  Balangiga bells show Americans at their worst and that their so-called concern for human rights is hypocrisy. 

What has the bells used ingeniously by Filipino rebels got to do with alleged EJKs in the drug war today? None except it is a great show for those who do not understand what happened to Filipinos fighting for their independence in the 19th century. At the heart of the story is that American colonization continues up to today with US policy using EJKs to bring the Philippines down. They will not return the bells because Duterte has declared its independence from American foreign policy.

What happened in Balingaga and Duterte’s war against drugs is a double whammy.

Section 2864 of the Conference Report which accompanies the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 says the US would allow the transfer of the Balangiga Bells to the Philippines if certain criteria are met, including “that the transfer is in the national security interests of the United States.”

“It is precisely because the Philippines is such a strong and vital American ally that we must consider how their recent human rights record could negatively affect US security,” the two lawmakers said.

They cited the report of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing last year, which said that more than 7,000 alleged drug personalities have been killed without charges or trial since the start of Duterte’s war on drugs.

According to the latest #RealNumbersPH release, there have been 6,309 drug-related deaths from July 1, 2016 to Jan. 17, 2018. Of these cases, 2,235 were tagged as homicide cases under investigation.

“We only ask that when you consider Congress’ intent in determining whether such a return meets the United States’ national security interests, you recognize that these extra-judicial killings are a detriment to our security interests,” they said. What could be clearer than that? It is blackmail. People around the world will not fall for the blackmail of American congressmen. And we now know what the alleged EJKs are for. 

Hultgren and McGovern added the defense secretary’s refusal to certify the return of the bells until Duterte takes meaningful measures “would be in the interest of our national security and our role as an internationally recognized leader in the promotion of human rights.”

Ahead of the 31st Association of South East Asian Nations Summit last year, the two lawmakers also urged US President Donald Trump to communicate to Duterte Washington’s “profound concern” over the spate of killings linked to the government’s drug war.

Balangiga bells. (!?!)

In December last year, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said Washington remains committed to return the three bells taken from Balangiga, Eastern Samar in the Philippine-American War.

During Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address, he demanded that the US return the bells that American troops seized in 1901 as war booty.

The bells were part of a signal for Filipinos to attack American troops in town on Sept. 28, 1901. The attack, which happened early in the morning, left at least 48 members of the 9th US Infantry Regiment dead.

The Philippines has been trying to have the bells returned since Fidel Ramos was president.

It is the Americans who should be put to shame for making promises they do not fulfill. It will forever be a reminder of America’s ignorance when what they called Filipinos “savage tribesmen” when they fought for their independence by sheer ingenuity and nerve.

To me, the bells signify how the US regards the Philippines, once a mere colony and now a neo-colony. This exceptional story of the Balangiga bells will remain a fact of history whether it is returned or not.

It is not the bells that truly matter but the story behind Balangiga that will forever matter.

What a brilliant Filipino story. “As the bells rang, the church doors burst open, with screaming rebels brandishing bolos and other improvised weapons such as picks and shovels. It was combat at close quarters; bolos against Krag rifles. The only advantage held by the rebels was the element of surprise. It was brilliant guerrilla warfare in the heart of town.” 

Naturally, outsmarted and defeated by ‘savages,’ the superior American colonizers fought back. First on the scene was  Company “G,” also of the Ninth Infantry, stationed at Basey. The force entered Balangiga, firing away with Gatling machine guns and light cannon. Twenty natives captured at the edge of the town were brought to the plaza and executed. All houses were torched to the ground.

The brigade was headed by Brig. Gen. Jacob Smith. who commanded “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn the better you will please me. In his handwriting were the words “The interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness.” These words would be repeated as a refrain of American perfidy.

Americans viewed Filipinos as a group of people to be subdued and they thought that all means were applicable. Eleven natives were executed by a firing squad.

But. It is a propaganda blunder for not returning the bells. They could have done so earlier and be done with it but keeping them only reminds Filipinos of American infamy. It is the story that has become historical with a worldwide audience. The Americans might have taken over Balangiga and taken the bells but it is not something to be proud about. To Filipinos this is a story of courage and bravery against all odds.