Duterte to witness US return of Balangiga Bells

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will witness on Tuesday the handover of the historic Balangiga Bells, an event that Malacañang views as an affirmation of the "enduring" ties between the Philippines and its traditional and treaty ally the United States. 

The bells, which were seized by American troops as war loot in the early 1900s, would be turned over to the Philippines in a ceremony at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay, a media advisory released by Malacañang on Sunday showed. 

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and Philippine security officials are expected to attend the handover rites, which would put closure to an infamous episode of the Filipino-American war. 

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"The Palace enthusiatically awaits the arrival of the Balangiga bells to the country on Tuesday, December 11," presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement. 

"We consider the occasion as an affirmation of our strong and enduring relations with our long-standing ally, the United States, as we thank them for this gesture that would formally put a closure to a tragic and contentious episode in both our countries' history," he added. 

Lorenzana previously said the aircraft that would bring the three bells would arrive at the air base before lunch. He said he would sign a document stating that he is accepting the bells from the US. 

Panelo said the handover of the bells would also serve as a reminder to the US that it had also committed human rights violations. 

"The Americans killed many of our countrymen and seized the bells. The return of the bells is historic...We thank them for returning the bells and at the same time, we remind them that in the past, they violated human rights. That has to be remembered so it could serve as a lesson," the presidential spokesman said in a radio interview. 

"That (killing of Filipinos) will forever remain as a debt of America. They have to pay for that in whatever manner. It will be up to them to decide how they intend to pay that debt," he added,  

One of the three bells rung seconds after Filipino freedom fighters attacked American forces stationed in Eastern Samar. A total of 48 American soldiers died during the assault, prompting US general Jacob Smith to order his troops to turn Samar into a “howling wilderness.”

Retaliating American soldiers killed more than 2,500 Filipinos and took three bells from the town church as war trophies. Two of the bells were brought to a military base in Cheyenne, Wyoming while one was displayed at a museum in South Korea.

Previous Philippine presidents called for the return of the bells but were unsuccessful. 

In his second state of the nation address last year, Duterte demanded the return of the bells, saying they are part of Philippine heritage. The American government agreed to return the bells after a law prohibiting the return of war memorial objects expired last September.