[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15558]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 THE BELLS OF BALANGIGA MUST RING AGAIN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 12, 2007

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support H. Con. Res. 
168, legislation that I have just introduced, which urges the President 
to authorize the return of two church bells, currently on display at 
F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, to the people of the 
Philippines.
  I am introducing the resolution today, June 12th, because of the 
historical significance of this date to 85 million Filipinos. It is the 
109th yearly celebration of Philippine Independence from Spain. The 
introduction of this resolution will bring hope for the return of the 
church bells, especially to the parishioners of Balangiga.
  It was a result of a conflict, between Filipino and American soldiers 
in 1901 in the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar, Philippines, 
that the bells in the Balangiga church were taken to the United States 
as war trophies where they have been on display ever since at F.E. 
Warren Air Force Base.
  I am introducing this resolution because of a vote by the Wyoming 
Veterans Commission in favor of the return of the bells to the church 
in Balangiga.
  The citizens of Balangiga have erected a memorial that includes the 
names of the Filipino and American soldiers who lost their lives in the 
1901 incident, and the town honors these war dead, both those from the 
Philippines and those from America, on September 28 each year. Filipino 
people have requested the return of the bells to the original setting 
in the Balangiga Parish where they could ring again, after 106 years of 
muteness, as a symbol of this bond.
  The acts of conflict that surrounded the Bells of Balangiga are not 
consistent with the friendship that is an integral part of the 
relationship between the Republic of the Philippines and the United 
States. Filipino soldiers have fought side by side with American troops 
in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and the bells should more properly 
serve as a symbol of friendship and not of conflict.
  For this reason, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 168.

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