Eastern Samar - Balangiga Massacre, Town Church and the Lost Bells

After exploring Catbalogan City and failing to swim at Kinabut-an spring, I went back to the pension house to freshen-up and had my dinner. I slept early so I could get up at 4:00 AM to catch the first trip to Tacloban City. Nope, I'm not exploring Tacloban City again, I just need to get a transportation to Guiuan, Eastern Samar bacause my destination today is the town of Balangiga, also in Eastern Samar.


The estimated travel time from Catbalogan, Samar to Tacloban City, Leyte is about 2 hours with a fare of 100 pesos. Good thing that the roads here are now well-paved, it only took us less that 2 hours to reach Tacloban City. I didn't even noticed the travel as I was sleeping all the time. Hehehe! From there I took another van, this time it's bound for Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It will pass by the town of Balangiga, travel time is about 3 hours, fare is 140 pesos.


When I arrived, I went to the town plaza and savor the goodies I bought at Charito's, Samar's popular pasalubong. After my quick breakfast, I roamed around and snapped some photos.






The town of Balangiga is known as the site where Balangiga Massacre took place in 1901 during the Philippine-American War. It was estimated that 48 were killed, 22 were wounded from the 78 American soldiers on that morning when the Filipino soliers attacked the American forces.



As a revenge following the massacre, the three church bells of Balangiga Church were taken away by the US soldiers. The church bell is significant as it signaled the surprised attack. To date, two of the church bells are in Wyoming, USA while the other one is in the US military base in South Korea.


There have been several attempts to recover the Balangiga Church bells. Unfortunately, the bells remain under US government control until now.


The church reminds me of Baler Church, it's very simple yet so appealing. I wasn't able to go inside the church as it is closed at the time of my visit. So, I just took some photos from the outside.


I barely noticed the time passing by. After about 2 hours, I went back to the national road and took a van to my next destination, Marabut Extreme Experience in Marabut, Samar. I badly need a good swim! Hahaha!


HOW TO GET THERE
Take a Guiuan-bound van from Tacloban City and get off at Balangiga town proper. Fare is 140 pesos and travel time is about 3 hours.

This is part of my trip to Samar and Eastern Samar that happened last October 14-16, 2011. Samar and Eastern Samar are the 41st and 42nd provinces on my list and it also marks my completion of setting foot on all the provinces in Eastern Visayas (Region 8). Join me as I discover some of the beautiful sights of Samar and Eastern Samar as well as the people I've met as I continue my journey through the provinces of the Philippines!
Map By: Wikipedia	Calbayog City Tour and Meeting the City's Tourism Officers Catbalogan City Tour and My Attempt to Swim at Kinabut-an Springs Balangiga Massacre, Town Church and the Lost Bells I found Serenity and not Extreme Adventure at Marabut Extreme Experience Resort Caluwayan Palm Island Beach Resort, One of Samar's Best Vacation Spots Samar - Things To Do, Itinerary, How To Get There, Accommodations, Getting Around, Expenses and Contact Details