Following the impending return of the Balangiga bells, the municipality from where the bells were taken plans to transform its plaza into a Philippine-American War Memorial.
“Meron nang plano doon sa Balangiga na gawin ‘yung plaza nila as Philippine-American War Memorial Plaza, and this is the first in the country,” said Rolando Borrinaga, a local historian, in a television interview.
Borrinaga said the return of the bells will “represent the closure” of the Philippine-American War.
“The return of the bells to the Philippines remains the last issue of contentions related to Philippine-American War. It will represent the closure of that eveont,” he said.
“I hope it will result new round of understanding. At least naayos na yung medyo controversial ng pagbabalik ng bells.”
The two bells were seized by American soldiers from Balangiga church during the war in 1900s and are currently in display in Wyoming, United States.
A ceremony will be held on Wednesday in Wyoming, formalizing the return of the bells to the Philippines.
Borrinaga bared that in 1957, a Filipino priest already requested for the bells to be returned to the Philippines. The government made the same request in the 1980s.
“Actually yung bells na yun malapit na sanang masauli in 2012, ngunit tumutol yung taga-Wyoming and they filed legislation to extend the prohibition …until 2017,” Borrinaga said.
“Now, veterans to veterans effort, konti lang naman ang tumututol sa Wyoming,” he added.
