MANILA, Philippines — The return of the historic Balangiga bells to the Philippines would not have been possible without the help of the Central Intelligence Agency, President Rodrigo Duterte said. In a speech during the first anniversary of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the president claimed that the CIA interfered in the return of the bells. The return of the Balangiga bells may have happened during the Duterte presidency but the campaign was more of a veterans-to-veterans effort, a historian earlier said. Furthermore, the return of the Balangiga bells to the country also depended on US Congress, which had to pass a law that would allow their return. Duterte: CIA planning to kill meWhile Duterte claims that he coordinated with the CIA for the return of the Balangiga bells, he also earlier accused the agency of planning to kill him.

Source: Philippine Star March 07, 2019 05:15 UTC