General Jacob H. Smith's infamous order "Kill Everyone Over Ten" was the caption in the New York Journal cartoon on May 5, 1902

To succeed in this century long journey home, we've put together an excellent team.

"The Committee to Return The Bells" includes both American and Filipino professionals: politicians, journalists, writers, actors, activists, musicians, private investigators, directors, and philanthropists and our Honorary Chairman, Congressman Manny Pacquiao.

Check out the full list of Committee members on our website 

With your support, The Committee will have the power, the influence, and the resources to endure a joyful marathon with the goal of bringing the bells home. 

From the People to the People.

A Century long journey home.

For Filipinos, the Bells are a not only a religious relic but also a symbol of their struggle for national independence. It was a call to signal their time as freedom fighters for their motherland, as it is a call for all peoples of the world today to hear that bell ring once more from the place of its origin, Balangiga, Samar, Philippines.

Throughout the years there have been many efforts  to bring the Bells home.

Click to read the the chronicles of efforts to return the bells, including defeated attempts by two US Presidents.

Balangiga is a coastal town of Samar Island and was hard hit by the Yolanda (Hai-yan) Typhon of November 2013. The people of Balangiga have risen above the challenges of the destruction that typhoon left in its wake. But a typhoon called the U.S.-Philippines war 114 years ago has ripped open the belly of Balangiga when its three bells were taken by the U.S. as war booty . That wound is still festering today.

For the people of Balangiga, the bells serve as reminders to the world that sometimes simple people have to make sacrifices in order to gain freedom, if not for them, for their descendants.

Every Sept. 28, with a touching ceremony, the town re-enacts the 1901 Balangiga Uprising.

Re-enactment of the Balangiga Encounter that happened 114 years ago portrayed by students and villagers of the community 

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Max Ricketts, Committee member and Annapolis Naval Academy graduate, explains us why it is so important to return the Bells.

In the interest of permanent reconciliation, we feel it is time to heal those bitter wounds while still honoring those on both sides who fought gallantly for their respective causes. Keeping them as "war booty" honors no one. Indeed, keeping them could even be said to stain their memory by perpetuating division between two allied peoples. Returning the bells to the people of the Philippines now would be an extraordinary and appropriate act of reconciliation on the part of the people of the United States.

How can we succeed where others have failed for more than 100 years?

Thanks to our Committee members, we will have the influence and the skills to run a long campaign, informing as many people as we can, to build a movement that will support a new resolution.

The goal of this indiegogo campaign is to raise the initial funds necessary to endure what may become a long marathon.

The steps:

In 2006 Congressman Dana Rohrabacher co-sponsored a Resolution urging the president of the United States to authorize the return of the church bells to the people of the Philippines. 

The resolution was rejected because of lack of public support.

 We will encourage the sponsors to design a new resolution  that would build a peaceful and joyful army of supporters, so that this time the result will be different. 

We believe that knowledge can change the world.

With some of the funds raised with this campaign, and with the support of the Committee members, we will produce a short documentary about the epic story of Balangiga. 

The documentary will explore the story from both the American and Filipino points of view and will serve to promote better understanding, reconciliation, and friendship between the United States and the Philippines.

We will feature interviews with the grandchildren of the Balangiga townspeople, US Congresspersons, and both American and Filipino opposers and supporters of the return of the Bells.

The documentary will be an important part of our media campaign and it will be projected at press conferences and during official meetings in Washington, Wyoming, Manila and Balangiga.

The money will be used in three primary areas:

1. Support the nonprofit organization that aims to create a global community  around the Bells. Your contribution will help this community by providing tools, merchandise, materials, community events, collaboration facilities, and more. 

2. Launch the "A Hundred Year Journey Home" campaign aimed to inform our fellow American citizens about the story of Balangiga. We will spread our  message through Press, TV, Radio, Social Ads, Conferences, Signature collection events, Free Concerts. Parts of the fund will be used to produce the short doumentary.

We are not just seeking financial support – we want you to join our community and become a part of making history.