Robert Donald “Bob” Couttie, a British writer, film director, actor, journalist, producer, radio playwright, and staunch lobbyist for the return of the controversial Balangiga Bells, died in the town of Balangiga in Eastern Samar on September 21. He was 71.
Couttie, who was born in Woking, Surrey, England, came and stayed in Balangiga, where he finished writing the first volume of his book “Fool’s Gold.”
Friends and fellow scholars have come forward to express their condolences to the family of the British journalist who wrote the book “Hang the Dogs: The True Tragic History of the Balangiga Massacre.”
“You loved Balangiga so much that you decided to stay and breathed your last in that very historic town,” wrote Jhonil Bajado, head of Museums and Archives at Samar State University.
“Thank you, Sir Bob, for your daring narratives that debunked many myths in Philippines history,” Bajado added.
Historian Rolando Borrinaga expressed sadness over the death of Couttie, a fellow member of the Balangiga Research Group.
“Deeply, deeply saddened to learn that my great longtime friend and workmate Bob Couttie has passed away,” said American novelist and film producer Michael Sellers.
Sellers, Borrinaga, and Couttie teamed up for the documentary “Balangiga I Honor and Sacrifice,” which is supposed to be the “definitive, authoritative account of the Battle of Balangiga and the remarkable story of Balangiga.”
The British author was a lifetime member of the Philippine National Historical Society and had lived in the country for nearly 30 years.
