[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 30 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 30

   Urging the President to authorize the return to the people of the 
 Philippines of two church bells that were taken by the United States 
    Army in 1901 from the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar, 
Philippines, and are currently displayed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, 
                                Wyoming.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 28, 2009

  Mr. Filner submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Urging the President to authorize the return to the people of the 
 Philippines of two church bells that were taken by the United States 
    Army in 1901 from the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar, 
Philippines, and are currently displayed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, 
                                Wyoming.

Whereas the United States and the Philippines have shared historic and political 
        ties for over 100 years;
Whereas the acquisition of the Philippines by the United States in 1898 ushered 
        in unprecedented American influence in the affairs of the Asia-Pacific 
        region;
Whereas, at the onset of the acquisition of the Philippines, armed conflict 
        occurred between the United States Army and the Filipinos;
Whereas, during the course of that conflict, a particularly noteworthy incident 
        occurred in the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar on September 
        28, 1901;
Whereas a church bell in Balangiga was reportedly rung, without permission from 
        the parish priest, to signal an attack on the American garrison in the 
        town;
Whereas, as a consequence, the 11th United States Infantry Regiment, known as 
        the ``Wyoming Volunteers'', confiscated the bells of Balangiga and 
        brought the bells to the United States as war trophies;
Whereas the regiment was stationed at Fort D.A. Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming, 
        which subsequently became F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and two of the 
        bells of Balangiga remain on display at this installation;
Whereas the town of Balangiga built a memorial monument that includes the names 
        of Filipinos and Americans who lost their lives in the September 28, 
        1901, incident, and the town honors these war dead on September 28th of 
        each year;
Whereas the acts of conflict that surrounded the bells of Balangiga are not 
        consistent with the friendship and cooperation that have been an 
        integral part of the relationship between the Republic of the 
        Philippines and the United States;
Whereas Filipino soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with American troops on 
        the battlefields of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam;
Whereas the bells of Balangiga should more properly serve as a symbol of 
        friendship and cooperation and not of unfortunate misunderstanding and 
        conflict;
Whereas the bells of Balangiga are valued not only for their place in history, 
        but also for the opportunity they present in enhancing lasting goodwill 
        between the Philippines and the United States;
Whereas the Filipino people have repeatedly requested the return of the bells;
Whereas the Wyoming Veterans Commission recently voted in support of returning 
        the Balangiga church bells to the Philippines;
Whereas the bells of Balangiga, when restored to their original setting in the 
        Balangiga Parish, could again ring, after 108 years of muteness, as a 
        symbol of the bond that exists between the Philippines and the United 
        States; and
Whereas the United States holds supportable legal title to the bells 
        recognizable under international law, and the United States Government 
        has final disposition over the bells of Balangiga: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress urges the President to authorize the return of two church 
bells that were taken by the United States Army in 1901 from the town 
of Balangiga on the island of Samar, Philippines, and are currently 
displayed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, to the people of the 
Philippines as a visible symbol of the friendship, good will, and 
cooperation that exists between the Philippines and the United States.
                                 <all>