Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana hailed the announced return of the Balangiga bells as a “strong indicator of the sincerity” of the United States in its self-avowed “ironclad alliance” with the Philippines.
“We thank US Defense Secretary James Mattis for his effort in seeking the return of the bells to our country. We do hope that the US government will follow through with their commitment and that it will become a reality soon,” Lorenzana said in a statement on Friday.
Noting the opposition of some sectors in the United States to the plan, he reminded the American public that they should not hold on to the bells “as trophies for atrocities that were committed by both sides on Philippine soil a very long time ago … in which both sides lost many precious lives.” —JAYMEE T. GAMIL