Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go expressed his desire to fight for the rights and welfare of the Filipinos during his speech at the 118th Balangiga Day Commemoration in Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Saturday.
In his message, the senator said that the victory of Filipinos in Balangiga is a testament to their bravery, dignity and love of country and noted that there is much more to celebrate this year with the historic Balangiga bells being finally back in the country after 117 years.
For decades, the Philippine government had consistently asked the United States to return the historical artifacts, which were taken by American soldiers as “spoils of war” from the Balangiga church in 1901.
The Balangiga encounter was a successful surprise attack carried out by Filipino fighters against the US troops during the Philippine-American War. It is considered by historians as one of the greatest displays of the bravery of the Filipinos fighting for their freedom.
During his 2017 State of the Nation address, President Rodrigo Duterte again demanded the return of the bells. Calling it as a move “to forge stronger friendship with the Philippines”, the US agreed to return the bells which returned home in December last year.
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The senator, in his message, detailed how the journey of their return was initiated by the President and commended the political will of the Duterte as instrumental for the return of the bells.
The senator, who was the aide of the President for more than twenty years, said he plans to emulate his bravery and strong leadership.
Go also commented on the news that the US Senate panel approved an amendment in an appropriations bill that will ban Philippine government officials involved in the detention of Senator Leila De Lima, noting that he condemns such act of the some American senators.
“It is an affront to our sovereignty and to our ability to govern ourselves. It unduly pressures our independent courts and disrespects the entire judicial process of the Philippines by questioning its competence,” said Go, adding that the senators who proposed the initiative must also be banned in the Philippines.
