By Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA
MANILA — Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday appealed to the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar to rethink their stand and temporarily lend one of the three Balangiga bells to the National Museum.
“Sana naman maipahiram naman nila. Isa man lang mailagay natin sa National Museum. Yearly visitation ng napakaraming high school atelementary students, at kung andyan ang bells, mapapakita natin kung gaano pinaghirapan ng ating mga kababayan ang ating kalayaan(We hope that they can lend even one of the bells to the National Museum. A lot of high school and elementary students make annual visits, and if the bells are there, we can show them the sacrifices made by our countrymen for freedom),” Zubiri said in an interview at the Senate.
“It will instill nationalism,” he added.
His statements were made after the Catholic Church opposed a proposal to place one of the historic bells to the National Museum.
The proposal was contained in Zubiri’s Senate Resolution No. 965, urging the Philippine government to display one of the bells in the National Museum for the “appreciation and general education” of the public.
The Balangiga bells finally returned to the Philippines on Tuesday after they were taken by American soldiers in 1901 as war trophies.
In response, the Diocese of Borongan said it will not allow the transfer of any of the bells from their historical and rightful habitat at the Parish Church of St. Lawrence in Balangiga, Eastern Samar.
“Senate Resolution 965 does violence to history and the sacred character and purpose of the Balangiga Bells. It must be rejected,” the diocese said in a statement.
It added that any move to transfer the bells would be a “disrespectful mangling of history and the right of the Catholic faithful of Balangiga to their private property.”
“The Balangiga Bells are sacramentals, that is, they are also sacred artifacts that call the faithful to prayer and worship. But they especially call them to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the highest form of prayer and worship for Catholics. Therefore, they belong in the Church, not in a museum,” the statement said.
However, Zubiri said not everyone can go to Balangiga and the bell’s stay at the National Museum would only be temporary.
“We are making an appeal to lend one of the bells to the National Museum, kasi di naman lahat makapunta sa Samar (because not everyone can go to Samar,” he said.
Asked how long the bell would stay at the museum, Zubiri said “it is up to them.”
The lawmaker said he will not force his will on the Church.
“If they don’t agree so be it. How arrogant naman are they to say that this is disrespecting the history of our country. Actually, we are just asking to lend it with the Filipino people, so that we will know the history of the country, temporary lang naman (it’s only temporary),” he said.
“We already had won. It’s already a moral victory for our people. Maybe in the kindness of their hearts maybe they can lend it in the National Museum,” Zubiri said.
