Balangiga, today a town of about 14,000, has never gotten over the loss of the bells. Its modern identity revolves around the massacre and the reprisals that followed.

The town plaza, where the killing occurred, is dominated by a large monument depicting the breakfast scene and the villagers approaching the soldiers with their bolos.

September 28, the anniversary of the massacre, is celebrated as a holiday, now politely known as Balangiga Encounter Day.

It is the occasion for a detailed re-enactment of the killing and the theft of the bells.

Since the mid-1990s, Philippine presidents have appealed to American presidents to give back the bells. Some advocates for their return have likened them to the Liberty Bell.

But some United States veterans groups have long opposed such action, arguing that the bells are part of their heritage too and reflect the sacrifice of American soldiers who died at Balangiga.

The bells’ return, though, is supported by some descendants of the Americans who survived the massacre and by some United States veterans who served in the Philippines.

Dennis L. Wright, a retired Navy captain who lives in the Philippines and campaigned for their return said he was pleased by the defense secretary’s decision.

“Church bells belong in churches calling the faithful to worship, not as trophies of war,” he said.