[Footages of Balangiga]

In the past years, this has been the bell that signaled each mass in the church of Balangiga.

Cracked are its sounds, which seem to wail.

This is an important day [September 28]. A special mass will be celebrated by the bishop.

After the mass the parade will start, [a spectacle] that is awaited by the entire town and the visitors.

The treat like a fiesta the commemoration of “Balangiga Encounter Day” here, a celebration rooted [in an event that occurred] more than 100 years ago.

The leaders of the town will offer honors in front of the statue of the considered national hero of Balangiga - Valeriano Abanador.

Afterwards, they will start the reenactment of the history of the town Balangiga [sic, the commemorative program, not the reenactment, follows the wreath-laying rites].

The story of the bells of their church enwraps this day’s celebration by the citizens of Balangiga.

“This annual celebration of the people of Balangiga is a good practice that they do. Because this would keep them always aware of what happened to the town. That means to say they have a town whose children are willing to die for independence,” [said Bishop Leonardo Medroso of the Diocese (not Archdiocese) of Borongan, Eastern Samar].

What really is the story that is given prominence by the small town of Balangiga?

September 28, 1901, during the Spanish-American War.

The Philippines then was at the last stretch of Spanish colonial administration and the Americans were already ruling the whole country.

According to the tale of the Balangigans, various types of abuse were experienced by them [sic, their forebears] at the hands of the Americans, from stealing to inflicting physical pain.

This was what pushed the Filipinos to plan a careful attack against the Americans.

The plan was for all the males to gather inside the church, to hide arms [i.e., bolos] inside coffins, and to dress in women’s clothing so that they would not be noticed.

The next morning, while the Americans were eating breakfast, the bell [not bells] of the church rang. This [ringing of the bell] signaled the attack.

The Filipinos had no other weapons but bolos and knives, but this [battle] was recognized by history as the worst defeat of the Americans in the war here.

Overwhelmed here was Company C, troops of the 9th US Infantry Regiment that was stationed then at Balangiga.

That day became known as the “Balangiga Massacre.”

“The people of Balangiga must be a people who are very, very courageous to undertake such kind of an attack. A big camp with superior firepower. And they only have the bolo …,” [said Bishop Medroso].

But a few weeks after the encounter, the Americans retaliated. They revenged and burned the entire [town of] Balangiga and its neighboring towns.

This chapter in history is called “kill and burn” and it was enforced by Brig. Gen. Jacob Smith.

His order: “Make Samar into a howling wilderness … And kill all males 10 years old and above.”

At that time also, the Americans took the bells of Balangiga.

“They would like to take this as a spoil of war - a booty. Like a trophy, that even if they lost, they still won,” [said Bishop Medroso].

The smallest bell was taken to Manila and brought by the 9th US Infantry to Seoul, South Korea.

Meanwhile, the two bigger bells were brought by troops of the 11th [US] Infantry to America and installed [in a memorial] at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

“Hopefully, [the bells] will be returned to us. The Americans already cared for the bells for more than 100 years, and it is about time now that we ourselves would take care of those bells,” [said Catalina Camenforte, the mayor of Balangiga].

“That would be a dream. That would be a day when the people would really hear again the ringing of the bells that called their forebears before … So the people could see and hear [from those] bells their own courage … Because they would remember that their [grand] parents have died for them. And they would also be willing to give up their lives for others,” [said Bishop Medroso].

* * *

“What I heard, they only got two [bells] …,” [said Digna Abing Enciso].

This is Grandma Digna, niece of the leader of the Balangiga Attack, who was Valeriano Abanador.

At her age of nearly 80, her memory is already hazy.

But at the last stretch of her recall, she wished to hear again the bells in their church before she dies.

“[These bells] were made by our relatives … by our grandfathers, but until now, these have not yet been returned,” [said Enciso].

“But would you want them returned?” [asked Mercado].

“Whatever, the Balangigans, we Balangigans welcome that [possibility],” [said Enciso].

The very symbol of the lone victory of the Filipinos, apparently grabbed and deliberately brought far away.

[Footage of Napoleon Abueva’s Balangiga Encounter Memorial.] But a memorial now stands in the plaza and it ensures that, even without the bells, the people will never forget the lesson of history.

From the Philippines, I searched in the United States the continuation of the story of the Balangigans, in their wish to take back their church bells.

Let me quickly introduce the personages who complete this story from the other side of the world.

[Flash footages of Mercado with Maria Lazaro Elemos and R Sonny Sampayan strolling down a park, with Jean Wall and Bill Fee in a poolside interview, and with Wyoming veterans at a cemetery.]

From New York, [we have] Maria Lazaro Elemos, a nurse, and [R] Sonny Sampayan, a retired US Air Force [officer]. They are among the many Filipinos here in America who exerted efforts so that the issue of the bells of Balangiga would be understood at present.

They are two Filipinos who lobby in the US Congress for the return of the bells to Balangiga.

“… That is our take on the current issues, like the Balangiga Bells. Whether you come from Samar or not, for as long as you are a Filipino, for as long as you are part of history, a part of that story in our life as a people, as a race, Balangiga should be important to you … you should know that story,” [said Maria Lazaro Elemos].

In Phoenix, Arizona, there was the couple Jean Wall and Bill Fee.

The story of Balangiga is dear to Jean, because her father was among the survivors of the battle in Balangiga. Jean is the daughter of Private Adolph Gamlin.

“In all the articles that I see, they bring up the word ‘forgiveness.’ This is not an act of forgiveness, because who is going to forgive whom? It’s not a matter of forgiveness; it’s a matter of the right thing to do. Those bells belong to the people of Balangiga and their church,” [said Wall].

In Washington, D.C., likewise, the veteran Erwin “Swede” [Huelswede], who is a former US Air Force [officer], is one of the diligent [persons] who knock on the door of the White House so that the issue of the bells of Balangiga would be heard.

“Ninety-nine percent of the veterans in the United States outside of Wyoming don’t have any idea about the existence of these bells, so it should not even be a politicized matter. This is church property that needs to be returned,” [said Erwin Huelswede].

* * *

[R] Sonny and I traveled the road [by car] from Denver, Colorado to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where the bells of Balangiga are [displayed].

Here in the Francis Warren Air Force Base, in the capital [city] of Wyoming, the bells of Balangiga have been based for about 100 years now.

I was struck by a sense of great awe at the very first chance to see and hold the bells.

“It is sweet to hear the sound of these [bells] today. You can see it. Hopefully, we can allow this sound to be heard by the Balangigans, for every mass that they do [celebrate]. But I know that the time is near [for the return of the bells],” [said Mercado while pounding on the 1863 bell].

[R] Sonny and I stayed two days inside the Warren Air Force Base. I looked closer at the bells and I noticed their gradually deterioration.

“Already deteriorated,” [whispered Mercado].

Bruce Gordon, who is from Kentucky, flew in to Wyoming for the two of us to meet on [R] Sonny’s invitation.

Bruce is a veteran who was born in Manila before World War II. He has spent quite a long time researching on the story of the bells and the battle of Balangiga.

“Every nation has its history; it must have its history. You must be proud of where you come from, the things you did. Balangiga was perhaps the greatest success of the Filipino armed forces in the war,” [Gordon said].

The Philippines’ [quest] to take back the bells would pass the eye of the needle because of the influential American veterans, residents of Wyoming, who are blocking this [move].

Among those who opposed [the return of the bells] during the decade of the ‘90s were the group of Joseph Sestak and the Wyoming Veterans’ Commission. But with the passage of time, there gradually occurred a change of heart among the veterans, including Joseph Sestak.

“The culture of our time has changed in the last eight years. The culture now is to return war trophies to the country from where they came,” [said Sestak].

In every tale of war in every nation of the world, there is no real winner. All are losers.

After the battle of Balangiga, there were other battles jointly fought by America and the Philippines during the Second World War against the Japanese.

It was [in these battles] that the friendship between the two nations [US and the Philippines] was tested against a common enemy.

“The Filipinos [were] our Allies in World War II. And they’re still our friends. And I think there’s time, the time has come to shake hands and to get on,” [said Robert Palmer, veteran from Wyoming].

“Yes, there’s two bells. One should represent the Philippine nation, and one should represent ours. I believe that the two bells should [be] a joining of the countries, not a separation of the countries. It should be a joining,” [said William Thompson, a veteran from Wyoming].

One hundred years after the battle between Americans and Filipinos in the town of Balangiga also meant 100 years of yearning by the citizens of this town for their bells to be returned to them.

But its realization now depends on the Congress of the United States.

[R] Sonny Sampayan and I spent several days in Washington, D.C., to individually approach the congressmen of America to make them understand why it is important for the Balangigans to take back their bells.

This [process] is called “lobbying” and in whatever discussion of various issues, the congressmen listen.

It is important to approach the congressmen because, when the opportunity presents itself, they are the ones who would enact the law that would order America to return the bells of Balangiga to the Philippines.

One [of them] is Congressman Bob Filner of California, who has great sympathy for the Filipinos, especially on the issue of the bells of Balangiga.

“I think anybody would understand that something that was taken in the heat of the battle long time ago doesn’t have any sort of meaning for Americans today. It means so much to the Filipinos in Balangiga, that would be the right thing to do,” [said Filner].

Filner’s heart for the Filipinos has been tested several times. In 1997, Filner was arrested right in front of the White House because of his participation in a demonstration [that clamored for better] benefits for Filipino veterans of World War II.

He has sponsored several bills in Congress on this issue [of the Filipino veterans’ benefits].

“When I hear the stories and I read the letters of people who had been guerrillas, or in the [Bataan] Death March, I mean, it just breaks my heart that we have treated these people who have contributed to our success as a nation, that we haven’t treated them properly. So I think it’s a moral and historical necessity to restore those [veterans’] benefits,” said Filner.

“So we could count on you regarding our battle now, to return those bells in Wyoming … returning them to Balangiga?” [question away from the camera].

“Yes, we will make that happen, I hope… It’s necessary to restore our relationship, and the emotional ties of the people of Balangiga to those bells,” [Filner added].

Still another congressman from California, Dana Rohrabacher, was approached by [R] Sonny and me. Because he is a Republican, Rohrabacher is close to the White House.

He had come to the Philippines once, when he visited the Spratlys Island.

“Yes, of course. I’ll do what I can, and I’ll talk to the White House about this … and, you know, it’s just [that] they’re very busy,” [said Rohrabacher].

* * *

“The church in the Philippines …,” [echoed Congressman Smith].

Congressman Christopher Smith from New Jersey chairs the Helsinki Committee of the Congress of America. The work of this committee is to study artifacts that came to the possession of America but which originated from other countries.

Smith’s committee is studying the possibility of including the bells of Balangiga among the items to be returned to their [respective] countries.

“Three bells that regrettably are still in US custody need to be returned as quickly, as humanly possible, and I think that means immediately to its rightful owner. And I think it will be a sign of not only respect but also of friendship. And it needs to be done,” [said Smith].

In Smith’s office, it cannot be denied [from the displayed religious items] that he is a devout Roman Catholic, a thing that suggests he understands the importance of the bells to the church of Balangiga and for its citizens, and more so for the Philippines being a Catholic country.

“It [the return of the bells] will continue forging those bonds which are strong between the Filipinos and the Americans. And it also, you know, as a Catholic, it to me is important. I’m glad the Vatican has weighed in. I think that shows that this is a very important Church issue,” [Smith added].

Even the congressman of Hawaii, Ed Case, also listened to [R] Sonny. Hawaii was the first state of America that was first reached by the Filipinos 100 years ago.

Embedded in the petition of [R] Sonny for the consideration of the congressmen were three important matters pertaining to the bells of Balangiga.

First is to return the bells to the Philippines, right to the town of Balangiga; the recognition of the American [soldiers] who sacrificed their lives in the battle of Balangiga, and of Company “C” whose heroism had never been recognized.

[Text of accompanying footage: “… to restore and return the church bells taken from the Balangiga Parish, which are currently displayed at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming and with the U.S. Forces in South Korea.”

[Text of next footage: “to honor the soldiers of Company C, 9th U.S. Infantry for their bravery during the Balangiga incident.”]

Before the bells are returned, their rehabilitation is necessary, especially that with the passage of time, they are now encrusted with rust that had gradually deteriorated the bells.

[Footage text: “Whereas when restored to their original settings … could ring again after 105 years of muteness of their bells.”]