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After 117 years being away from the country, the Balangiga bells have finally heard by the people of Eastern Samar past 5 p.m on Saturday, and the first person who tolled it was President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte who’s present in the official handover of the Transfer Certificate of the Balangiga Bells from the United States expressed his happiness after seeing the bells back to its hometown after being away for more than one century after the Americans took it as war booties.
After handling the transfer certificate, the President quickly proceed to check the current condition of the bells and even kissed one of before ringing it.
Duterte also ringed the bell for the first time which made the people of Balangiga exploded into applause and cheers.
The President who became emotional after he successfully let the Americans surrender the Bells raised his fist to show that the people of Balangiga succeed in bringing back the bells which the Filipino guerillas used to alarm the signal of their attack against the American soldiers in September 1901.
After the ceremony, Duterte told the people that no government official could claim the credit on the return of the Balangiga bells.
“Nobody but nobody can claim a singular credit for the generous act of the Americans. The bells are returned. The credit goes to the American people and the Filipino people, period,” Duterte said.
“The bells are returned and it was really because of the fervent prayers of the entire Filipino nation,” he added.
Duterte who’s a fierce critic of the Catholic priests even joked and asked the audience if he will be the one to carry the bells inside the Church.
“So what’s next? I carry the bells [to the church]?” Duterte said.
President Rodrigo Duterte in his State of the Nation Address asked the United States to return the bells, in response, the closest ally of the country vowed to return it.
Several days after the Balangiga Bells arrived, several critics of the government worried that the President will take credit on the return of the bells.
However, Duterte clarified that no politicians could claim that they’re the reason why the bells were returned to the country.
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