THE return of the bells of Balangiga symbolized yet another victory in the struggle of the Filipino people against foreign domination and imperialist subjugation. After more than a century of being displayed as a war trophy (part of the booty collected by the American invading forces during the Filipino-American War), the bells of Balangiga have finally come home, thanks to the sustained efforts of the Filipino people to correct the injustices committed by the Americans during the war.
The bells of Balangiga symbolized the brutality of the war that has yet to be given due recognition by the United States. Taken as a war booty during the bloody reaction of the occupying American forces after their single biggest defeat in the hands of the Filipino revolutionaries, the bells are just part of the many artifacts, documents and materials stashed away from the archipelago by the colonial forces. Years of campaign and struggle of the Filipino people to recognize that dark and bloodstained chapter in our history had gained another step in the right direction with the return of the bells.
At the same time, the people must not be content with the mere celebratory ceremony that is anticipated with the formal turnover of the American war booty to its rightful owner. The people must continue to campaign for the acknowledgement and recognition of the Filipino-American war as a war of colonial occupation that resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos.
The people must sustain this momentum and strive for the return of the other war booties of the disastrous war as a step towards correcting the historical injustice committed during the catastrophic war of occupation. The people must ensure that the ruinous events that characterized the Filipino-American war will never be repeated in our shores.
The return of the bells must never be viewed as a manifestation of American benevolence and magnanimity that has long been touted by the imperialist propaganda machinery as the intention of colonial occupation of the Philippines. The credit must not be given to the imperialist forces and their local allies as they continue to wreak havoc on the shores of the archipelago since that war more than a century ago.
A formal apology and recognition of the devastating consequences of the war must be made by the American government, before a real closure on the issue of the return of the bells is to be attained. The rectification of historical narratives and the inclusion of the events in the discussions found in history textbooks and official discourse must be made to make a real and substantial understanding of the historical context that led to the events involving the bells.
As a nation, we are still faced with the specter of foreign domination—under the United States with the unequal treaties and agreements such as the Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, and the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement; and under China with the occupation of the islands in the West Philippine Sea.
The lessons of the tragedy of the Filipino-American War, and the sacrifices made by the Filipino people in defending our nation’s sovereignty must never go to waste. (Tanggol Kasaysayan, Kilos Para sa Makabayang Edukasyon and Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines)