IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 481 
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 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2006 
Mr. FILNER (for himself, Mr. ROHRABACHER, and Mr. CASE) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
International Relations 
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, Wy-
oming. 
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 influ-
ence in the affairs of the Asia-Pacific region; 
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•HCON 481 IH 
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 bells in a church in Balangiga were 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’’, con-
fiscated 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 co-
operation that have been an integral part of the relation-
ship 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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•HCON 481 IH 
Whereas the bells of Balangiga should more properly serve as 
a symbol of friendship and cooperation and not of unfor-
tunate 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 re-
turn 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 origi-
nal setting in the Balangiga Parish, could again ring, 
after 105 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 author-
ize 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 dis-
played at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, to the 
people of the Philippines as a visible symbol of the friend-
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•HCON 481 IH 
ship, good will, and cooperation that exists between the 
Philippines and the United States. 
Æ 
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