After 117 years, bells ring again in Balangiga

Manila: When the people of Balangiga town attend the evening mass on Saturday, they will be roused by the same bells that pealed 117 years ago, calling their ancestors to church.

The story of the bells is written in the blood of Filipino patriots and American soldiers.

It has been 117 years since the religious relics were taken by American soldiers from the belfry of the Church of Saint Lawrence the Martyr in Balangiga in central Philippines’ Samar.

The bells were regarded as a war spoils by the Americans who fought the local people after they had mounted an uprising that resulted in the massacre of 48 US expeditionary force soldiers.

Two of the bells had previously adorned a US military base in Wyoming, while one was at in an American overseas installation in South Korea.

“Today’s gathering is truly sentimental. We never lost hope [the bells] would be returned,” President Rodrigo Duterte said at the Balangiga Auditorium in Eastern Samar in a short speech he gave welcoming the return of the three Balangiga Bells to the Philippines.

“Let me be clear on this, the bells were returned because of the fervent prayers of the entire Filipino station. The credit for the bell’s return goes to American people and the Filipino people and no single person can claim recognition for this,” the President said in a live feed of the event aired by government television station late afternoon Saturday.

“The bells return is expected to usher in a more vibrant chapter in Filipino and US relations,” the President said.

During the event, Duterte witnessed the official handover of the Transfer Certificate of the Balangiga Bells from United States Deputy Chief of Mission John Law to Department of National Defence (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Philippines.

The ceremony was an emotional moment for the town’s people.

Vice-mayor Samuel Enciso of Balangiga, said: “Today is the most awaited event for every Balangiganon.”

During his State of the Nation Address in 2017, Duterte demanded that the US return the bells of Balangiga.

“Give us back our bells, they belong to the Filipino people,” he said.

Archbishop Romulo Valles, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the bells are priceless religious treasures used for generations to call the faithful to prayer and worship.

“This event affords us an opportunity to understand and appreciate history better with a more mature perspective. It also demonstrates that the path to healing and reconciliation may be arduous but is never impossible,” he earlier said.

Fr Edmel Raagas of the Diocese of Borongan said for the first time in more than 117 years, the Balangiga Bells will rouse the local Catholic faithful of Balangiga for the first day of the traditional evening mass or Misa de Gallo.