Opinion | How America’s return of the Balangiga bells paves the way for Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House

After more than a century, the United States has finally returned the iconic Balangiga bells to its rightful owners. The bells, which were taken as war trophies in 1901 by occupying American forces from a Philippine church, represented a particularly painful, though partly forgotten episode in Philippine-American relations.

The bells’ widely covered and highly emotional return marked a bittersweet moment for the two allies, which have been at loggerheads in recent years. Unlike any of his predecessors, the tough-talking Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, made the return of the bells a centrepiece of his anti-American tirades.

To Duterte, who has favoured warmer ties with China and Russia, the US lacks the moral ascendancy to question his human rights record. In Duterte’s view, Americans should instead repent for their historical atrocities against the Philippines, the first and only US colony in Asia.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of senior officials from both sides, the three bells are now finally back home in Balangiga town, in East Samar. With a dark chapter of their shared early-20th century history now behind them, the two allies hope to revitalise their bilateral relations for the 21st century.

As one senior Filipino official told the author, Duterte is now “seriously considering” his first ever official visit to the White House by the middle of next year, ushering in a thaw in frayed relations. Yet, the move would be unlikely to undermine Duterte’s efforts to pursue a more independent foreign policy for the Philippines.