SYMBOLIC GESTURE
While the U.S. ambassador said on Tuesday that the return of the Balangiga bells "underscores the enduring friendship between our countries," some Philippine experts thought it could barely improve the current U.S.- Philippines relationship.
Renato De Castro, an international studies professor at the Philippine De La Salle University, told Xinhua that the return of the Balangiga bells is no more than a "symbolic" gesture and will not change Duterte's indifference towards the United States.
De Castro said the main reason that the United States is willing to return the Balangiga bells after 117 years is Duterte kept asking for them.
Asked if the return of the bells will change the current administration's attitude toward the United States, De Castro said he doubted it very much.
Duterte will only use the return of the Balangiga bells to show that his independent foreign policy is effective, he said.
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