IV 

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; 


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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; 


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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 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress urges the President to author3 ize the return of two church bells that were taken by the 

4 United States Army in 1901 from the town of Balangiga 

5 on the island of Samar, Philippines, and are currently dis6 played at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, to the 

7 people of the Philippines as a visible symbol of the friendVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:20 Jan 29, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC30.IH HC30

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1 ship, good will, and cooperation that exists between the 

2 Philippines and the United States. 

Æ 


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