US vows Balangiga bells’ issue to be resolved

MANILA, Philippines — The United States has reassured the Philippines that it would take action and bring the issue of the Balangiga bells to a good resolution.

Randall Schriver, US assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, talked about the US-Philippine defense partnership and the significance of the bells, taken by American soldiers as war booty from a church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar in 1901, to the Filipino people.

“We understand the importance of the bells to the people here in the Philippines and many people in the United States as well, so we’ve not only expressed our intent, we’re gonna take action and hopefully will bring that to good resolution for the people here,” Schriver said in an interview on US Embassy Insider last Thursday.

The Philippines hopes that everything goes smoothly and the US will return the historic Balangiga bells this year.

“I think we’ll know more in the next two to three months… more details in the next three months. We’re hoping that this year would be the timing,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters on Wednesday.

He thanked both the Filipino and American side even when the issue on the return of the bells drew emotional reactions from both sides.

“But I think it is a sign of love and respect toward each other and I hope everything goes smoothly and that we will have a ceremony that would be fitting of that,” he added.

Cayetano thanked US Defense Secretary James Mattis who paid detailed attention to the Philippines’ request for the return of the Balangiga bells.

Schriver said Mattis notified Congress that the department intends to return the bells of Balangiga to the Philippines. No specific date has been identified for the return of the bells.

In a statement, the US embassy in Manila said “We’ve received assurances that the Bells will be returned to the Catholic Church and treated with the respect and honor they deserve.”

Duterte, during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year, demanded from the US their return.

“Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours... Isauli naman ninyo. Masakit yun sa amin (Return them to us. This is painful for us),” he said.

Meanwhile, the American Legion, a worldwide organization of US war veterans, is set to pass on Aug. 24 a national convention resolution asking US President Donald Trump and the US Congress to return the controversial bells to the Philippines.

Guy Hilbero, executive officer of the 26th US Cavalry of the Philippine Scouts Memorial Regiment in the former US Air Force base in Clark, Pampanga, told The STAR that “the Legion departments of the Pacific, California and Wisconsin have all submitted similar resolutions of support (for the return of the Balangiga bells) for consideration by the National Legion.”– With Ding Cervantes