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Issue Number 31, October 2008
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Kapatiran Issue
No. 31, October 2008
PHILIPPINE TRIBUTES TO KA BEL
Seventy-Five Years Of A Life Lived In The Defence
Of Peoples' Rights
Makes Ka Bel A Most Precious Gem In Philippine History
We in the Philippine human rights alliance Karapatan
join the family and the nation in mourning the untimely
death of Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran.
Indeed, all of us are overwhelmed with grief in his
passing away.
But we are consoled by the fact that Ka Bel lived a life
in the defence of peoples' rights and in the service of
humankind.
In January 2008, Ka Bel celebrated his 75th birthday, a
year associated with diamonds. Indeed, Ka Bel's life is
like the world's most precious stone that is cut and
polished several times over to bring out the rock's
beauty and durability that makes it so valuable. He had
surpassed challenges, trials, and persecution in the
course of the defence of people's rights.
Even as the fascist US-Arroyo regime sought to silence
the progressive party list representatives in Congress
through its so-called legal offensives, Ka Bel fought
hard, received overwhelming national and international
support and emerged triumphant.
At 75, Ka Bel was a brilliant diamond of a life - a
shining example of proletarian simplicity and
revolutionary zeal.
Much has been said about Ka Bel and his virtues as a
genuine leader of the working class. Even political
adversaries admit that he is a vital figure in our
country's modern political history. We cannot stress
enough that Ka Bel was foremost a staunch human rights
defender who sought to promote and protect the Filipino
people's civil, political, economic, social and cultural
rights.
As a member of the National Executive Board of SELDA (the
organisation representing human rights victims of the
1970s & 80s Marcos dictatorship. Ed.), replacing the
late Rolando Olalia, when the latter was murdered during
the Aquino presidency, Ka Bel fought for the release of
political prisoners and Prisoners of War (POW) here and
around the world, as well as for the indemnification of
victims of Marcos' martial law victims. As one of
the principal authors of the Marcos Victims Compensation
Bill in Congress, Ka Bel died without seeing the bill
passed into law. He would have wanted to see the day that
the Marcos victims receive what is due them.
He fought for justice for the victims of human rights
violations of every regime even as he had always become
the victim of such in doing so. But he persisted to take
up the cudgels for the powerless and the voiceless in
society without asking for anything in return. And
looking at the vintage feisty Ka Bel's way of conducting
his fight, we are very sure that Ka Bel was a very happy
man living his life in his own way, on his own terms.
Above all, Ka Bel's humanity is exhibited in his ardent
participation in the national democratic struggle, the
victory of which means the realisation of people's rights
to genuine freedom and democracy. Ka Bel was a cut above
the rest. His political colour was a bright crimson red
which he carried through to the end with such aplomb
because he practiced what he preached. He set a clear and
brilliant example in class leadership.
They say that a diamond is forever. Like a diamond,
Ka Bel will live forever in our hearts. He is forever
etched in the collective memory of our nation as he is a
source of inspiration for everyone who fights for
freedom, justice and peace.
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