Continued

Philnews
So you do feel that it is just a matter of time before we'll be getting two bells back...three bells back?

Bob
I honestly couldn't say, what we're concentrating on in our group is to build up positive relationships between Balangiga and the 9th Infantry Regiment. Those are the two sides that were involved in this incident; those are the two sides that should be talking. Not necessarily about the bells. And I believe that there are people within the 9th Infantry Regiment who feel its time to "kiss and make up" so to speak. And we've been acting as a channel to try and get that to happen. We know that there is some interest within the 9th Infantry in getting some people to Balangiga, to meet the Banlangiganons, as a sign of friendship. We know the war is over, let's move on! And certainly that is also the way Balangiga feels. I spent a lot of time out there. These people are not anti-American, not anti-military and they don't bear a grudge...they would love to have their bells back!

Every year they have this wonderful re-enactment and if you're in the Philippines, in Samar, September 28th, go down to Balangiga. It's a wonderful day; its not a fiesta. It's a commemoration, but they have this wonderful re-enactment in the afternoon. I go down there; we've had Jean Wohl down there; we've had veterans--representatives of the American veterans, treated with absolute hospitality and friendship. They're delighted to see visitors to go along to see their town. They are a lovely people and they have a very effective mayor, Catalina Camenforte--she's a battler, she's a really lovely lady. And the chances are if you go there you'll probably end up being invited to her house for this enormous lunch. Something not a lot of people know about but it's a wonderful experience. And it's an experience I'd like the 9th Infantry to share. Because if they went there I think they would be treated like kings.

Reconciliation I think, is what we should be looking for. With reconciliation, the chances of the bells being returned are very good. But they're certainly not going to be returned by political rhetoric, by cursing...it's just not going to happen. In fact when journalists here in the [Philippine] Star suggested--I think it was Alejandro Roces, suggested that the bells should be returned on July 4th. I think that's a wonderful idea.

Philnews
The bells right now are on display in Wyoming and in Korea, Have the Balangiganons indicated to you what they will do with the bells once they are returned? I mean will they be on display, in the town plaza?

Bob
The bells will go back where they came from. They will go into the church tower; into the belfry. There's a new belfry that's been built for it. There was some nonsense, some strange rumor which I finally tracked down that the bells were going to be put into a monument to American atrocities, and that has never been on the cards. When I heard that I was just gob smacked. If the bells are returned, they go back into the church belfry, that's where they belong. So they're not going to be used for any anti-Americanism.

There is actually a monument down there in Balangiga to both sides. And it's rather heartwarming to go down there. Especially when you've researched the thing and so all the people have become very real; the [American] soldiers and the Filipinos. And you see their names engraved side-by-side on the side of the monument. And every year they light little candles in commemoration, and wreaths are laid. So it's rather heart-warming.

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