Tributes to Ka Bel

On Saturday May 24, over 70 Filipinos and friends met on sudden notice at the University of Toronto to give tribute to Representative Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran. This tribute was organized by BAYAN Canada in Toronto in partnership with Migrante-Ontario, and Philippine Advocacy Through Arts and Culture.

Pictures from the tribute can be viewed courtesy of Migrante-Ontario.

The tribute included photo presentations of this great working class hero, a presentation of his accomplishments, statements of solidarity from local Canadian organizations, and a statement from Bayan-Canada in Toronto. Funds were also raised to help Ka Bel's surviving wife, Rosario "Ka Osang" Beltran née Soto.

I. WHO IS KA BEL?

Working class hero Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran leaves a living legacy
Anakpawis press release
20 May 2008

Today, Rep. Crispin B. Beltran, ANAKPAWIS Party list representative on his 3rd term in Congress, a great labor leader, an incorruptible parliamentarian, staunch fighter for national freedom, democracy and international working class solidarity, died at 11:48am at the FEU hospital in Quezon City due to severe head injuries. He was 75.

We mourn with his family and friends, comrades and colleagues. Yet, in his passing, he left a distinctive and brilliant legacy of fighting for the interest of the workers and oppressed peoples. Rep. Beltran is scheduled to file a bill to remove the e-vat on electric power to lower the rates affecting his constituents. Rep. Beltran's study of his legislative measures are for the protection of the underprivileged and other marginalized sectors.

Crispin Beltran, more endeared to the masses as "Ka Bel", is a living legend and epitome of militancy and progressive lawmaking in the country. He is currently the Chairman of the national political party Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Partylist and is its re-elected Representative in the Philippine Congress.

Having been an activist for over fifty long years, Ka Bel is esteemed by laborers, peasants, urban poor and other marginalized sectors as a true defender of the toiling masses and staunch critic of privatization, deregulation and other destructive policies of globalization.

Ka Bel also stands against the United States' war of aggression on Iraq and its war on terror. He also is steadfast in his call for respect for national sovereignty and international unity against foreign intervention.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, at an early age, Ka Bel volunteered as a courier for the guerillas. After the war, he worked as a farm hand and janitor to support his studies. He then worked as a gasoline boy, messenger, bus driver and later on, a taxi driver. At age 20, he joined his fellow drivers in a strike against unfair labor practices. The police attacked their picket line, injured many and claimed the lives of three protesting workers. Since then, Ka Bel vowed to fight alongside the working class.

He organized the Amalgamated Taxi Drivers Association, for which he served as President from 1955 up to 1963. Together with Felixberto 'Ka Bert' Olalia and Feliciano Reyes, leaders of the Filipino labor movement's militant tradition, he organized the Confederation of Labor of the Philippines (CLP). He was CLP's Vice-President from 1963 to 1972. Ka Bel also helped found the Philippine Workers Congress and other labor organizations such as KASAMA and PACMAP, which de facto asserted their recognition during Martial Law.

Under the repressive martial law, Ka Bel helped establish the Federation of Unions in Rizal and the Philippine Nationalist Labor Organization (PANALO) until KMU was founded in 1980. From 100,000, KMU's membership soared to 500,000 in the 1980s. The establishment of KMU united and strengthened the people in its fight against the fascism of the Marcos dictatorship.

When Marcos launched a crackdown in August 1982, Ka Bel was one of those arrested and detained. In November 1984, he was able to escape, and went back to organizing workers and peasant s in the countryside. When Ka Rolando "Lando" Olalia was brutally murdered in 1987, Ka Bel took over the presidency of KMU. He ran for senator under the banner of Partido ng Bayan that same year and garnered 1.52 mi llion votes but lost due to massive "dagdag bawas" (ballot and vote switching) scheme of elect ion fraud. He remained a leader of the militant union until March 2003.

He also became a National Council Member of multi-sectoral alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) which means New Patriotic Alliance) in 1985 and also served as its national chairperson from 1993 to 1999. Ka Bel became the chairman of the International League for People's Struggles in 2002. He is also considered as one of the pillars of international working class solidarity in the era of globalization.

From February 2001 to November 2003, he served as Vice President and one of the three representatives of Bayan Muna (People First) Partylist to Congress, where he introduced legislations imbued with his high sense of patriotism and advocacy of the rights and welfare of the marginalized sectors.

In 2004, he became the representative for Anakpawis Partylist as a sectoral representative of workers, peasants, urban poor and other toiling masses.

Ka Bel was cited by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism as the partylist representative in the 13th Congress with the most number of bills and resolutions filed, totaling to 130, and with a nearly perfect attendance before his arrest in February 2006.

His three-term stint in the House of Representatives has garnered him awards such as Filipino of the Year and Most Outstanding Congressman for four consecutive years from 2002 - 2005, and in 2006, was adjudged part of the Congressional Hal l of Fame - all these and the respect of the public he reaped even as the Arroyo regime continues to persecute him and his fellow activists.

After his arrest and year-and-a-half long arbitrary and illegal detention initiated by the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, Ka Bel was proven innocent of the rebellion charges against him. Persecution, however, persists through the fabricated inciting to sedition case that the Metropolitan Court of Quezon City refuses to dismiss until now, despite legal prohibit ions for duly-elected officials to be charged with crimes punishable by not more than six years of imprisonment such as inciting to sedition.

In October 2007, Ka Bel exposed bribery attempts by administration allies, particularly by KAMPI member Francis Ver. He was offered P2 million in exchange for his support to the weak impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Ka Bel is survived by 11 children, 29 grandchildren and 5 great-grand children. His remains will be interred at his home, May 20, at Lot 16, Blk. 30 Francisco, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and transferred to the Iglesia Filipina Independiente starting May 21.

II. BAYAN CANADA (Toronto) TRIBUTE

Ka Bel is dead. Long Live Ka Bel!

We Filipinos in Canada and Friends, who just over a month ago had the honour of meeting with Congressman Crispin Beltran, awoke today May 20 to learn of the tragic death of Representative Beltran, or Ka Bel, as he was known to the millions who loved and respected him. We condole with Ka Bel's wife Ka Osang, their eleven children, 29 grand children, and five great-grand children.

Around 6 am of the 20th, Ka Bel fell from the roof of his humble house in Bulacan. He was up on the roof to fix a leak because of the recent typhoon. While going down, he lost his balance and fell fourteen feet headfirst. Though he went into multiple cardiac arrest later, it was the hemorrhage from the severe head injury that took his life.

Ka Bel was not one to order other people around when he could do the work himself. Even as a legislator, Ka Bel kept his simple working class life. Ever incorruptible, Ka Bel was not one to feast on the public trough like the traditional politicians so disdained by Filipinos. At death, he left net assets of around P50,000, or less the $1,200. His Bulacan home was only purchased in 2004. It was a simple unpainted house in a 60-square meter lot in a low-cost housing subdivision. He was still paying a monthly P5,000 amortization. Previously, he had lived in a depressed area in Quezon City.

Though he could have had it otherwise, Ka Bel chose to maintain his simple working class life to maintain in touch with the lived realities of millions of Filipinos in order to struggle hard with them for their rights and welfare. Even before his teens, he displayed his patriotism by volunteering as courier for guerillas against Japanese occupation. A farm hand, a janitor, a gasoline boy, a messenger, a bus driver and finally a taxi driver, Ka Bel eventually became a unionist and labour organizer. Putting the interests of the country and workers first, he rose through the ranks of the May First Labour Centre eventually to become its president in 1987 after the military assassinated its then president, the beloved Ka Rolando Olalia.

Though loved by workers, peasants, the urban poor and patriots, Ka Bel is hated by the enemies of the Filipino people and workers. On August 1982, he was arrested and detained by the Marcos dictatorship until his escape in November 1984. Recently in February 2006, Ka Bel was again arrested, this time by the murderous Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime, to suffered over one and a half years detention including withdrawal of his medications for a long period of time.

Ka Bel never tired in his work serving the people. In the 13th Congress, Ka Bel was the partylist representative with the most number of bills and resolutions filed, all together 130, and a nearly perfect attendance until his arrest in 2006. He was awarded Filipino of the Year and Most Outstanding Congressman for four consecutive years from 2002-2005, and in 2006, was adjudged part of the Congressional Hall of Fame.

Just before his tragic death, Ka Bel was busy preparing for a privilege speech on power rates and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). He was scheduled to file a bill to remove the e-vat on electric power to lower the rates affecting his constituents. Ka Bel has also been at the forefront fighting to increase the minimum wage P125 and to make the country self-reliant in rice. Such speak to Ka Bel's concerns for the urgent problems of the Filipino people. We could go on and on.

We overseas Filipinos know too well the importance of these efforts. Millions of us not only have been forced out of the country we love because of the absence of opportunities, we get regular calls from our relatives back home requesting more help because of the high cost of living, to help a relative finish their schooling, to pay for hospitalization, for help with the holidays. Now we are asked to send rice!

Ka Bel is a beloved hero to millions of Filipino workers, peasants, urban poor, to the middle class, to overseas Filipinos. He may not have died the way he wished, but Ka Bel lived his life the way we should. It isn't the matter of death that makes you a hero but the life you live. We grieve at the loss of this great working class hero but cry tears of joy at his service to the people. Ka Bel's life was as heavy and beautiful as Mt. Mayon!

Ka Bel is dead. Long Live Ka Bel!
Ka Bel: Genuine Patriot, Working Class Hero!
Ka Bel: Incorruptible To the End!

Bayan-Canada in Toronto


III. TRIBUTES BY LOCAL CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONS


Tribute to Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran
From the United Church of Canada, Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit

It is with great sadness that we received the news of the death of Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran. On behalf of The United Church of Canada, we offer our condolences to his family, his colleagues in the Anak Pawis Party List and to the people's movement in the Philippines. The United Church of Canada joins the people of the Philippines in mourning a very dear friend and colleague.

Ka Bel's passing is a great, great loss for all of us, but especially for the workers, peasants, and other oppressed sectors of Philippine society. With great passion and unwavering commitment, he dedicated his whole life to the struggle for their rights and interests. And for this, he paid very dearly. The persecution he suffered from the Marcos dictatorship to the Macapagal-Arroyo regime neither intimidated nor discouraged him. He was steadfast to the very end.

As a Member of Congress, he never betrayed the trust and hope of the people who elected his Party List and was always clear-sighted about the purpose of why he is there. In his speeches to Canadians who are unfamiliar with the party list system in the Philippines, he emphasized that as a representative of a progressive Party List, he has two arenas of action: the Parliament of the Street among the struggling Filipino masses and in the halls of Congress where he pushes their fight for justice, democracy and freedom.

We have been greatly blessed and privileged to receive his visit in Canada. We knew how happy he was to come. We were told his bags were packed months before his departure for Canada. People were drawn to him because he was a warm, gentle and genuine person. We will fondly remember how he listened with patience to our briefings before meetings at the Parliament and his simplicity in receiving our advices. We will fondly remember his mischievous smile as he told us that he had consumed foods that we forbade him to eat out of concern for his health condition. We shall always be grateful for the privilege of spending time with him during the last months of his life.

Ka Bel, we will miss you! But your spirit will live in us and inspire us to continue the struggle until justice is obtained, until that time when the fullness of life is enjoyed by all Filipinos and peoples everywhere.


Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran (1933-2008): Glorious Hero of the Filipino People
BASICS Free Community Newspaper

Filipinos around the world are mourning the death Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran. A veteran organizer and people's leader, Beltran died on May 20 of head injuries sustained after falling from the roof of his home in Bulacan. He was 75.

A long time trade union leader, Beltran was chairman of the Kilusang Mayo Uno ("May First Movement") until he was elected to the Philippine Congress as a representative of Anakpawis Party-list. He was a leader in the opposition movement against the corrupt and brutal rule of current president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Beltran was a political prisoner during the Martial Law era of fascist dictator of Ferdinand Marcos. He was again detained by the Arroyo regime under false criminal charges of rebellion and held prisoner for more than a year in a hospital prison. "I am innocent of the rebellion charge against me," he said upon his release. "It's neither a sin nor against the law to speak against graft and corruption and the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians."

Unions, progressive parties, and peoples organizations are paying tribute to Crispin Beltran and his more than 50 year commitment as an activist.

"While Ka Bel didn't get his wish that he die in the streets fighting against tyranny and exploitation, he did not die in vain," said Elmer Labog of Kilusang Mayo Uno. "His whole life offered in the service of the Filipino people and other struggling people in the world makes him a hero no less."

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines hailed his contributions to journalistic freedom. "Mr. Beltran was a tireless leader, advocate and ally of workers, including those in mass media. He was a fighter for press freedom and the right to free expression" the NUJP said in a statement.

Bayan Muna, a progressive part-list, called his death "an irreparable loss not only to the working class movement but to every Filipino yearning for genuine social change. He was a tower of a man, a pillar of strength for the progressive people's movement."

Up until the end, Beltran remained a man of the people. In a Congress dominated by millionaires, Beltran died still the poorest member of the House of Representatives, with a net worth of only 50,000 pesos (CAN $1,149).


Salute to Brother Crispin Beltran, Working Class Hero!
Michael Lucas
Editor, Northstar Compass

In behalf of the Editorial Board of Northstar Compass, official organ of the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People, I would like to express our condolences to his surviving wife Rosario Soto Beltran, their eleven children, 29 grand children and five great-grand children, to the Filipino working class and people.

Though Brother Crispin Beltran did not die the death he wished, he lived the life we all hope. I write in tribute to this great working class hero and patriot and celebrate his example.

Northstar Compass was established 18 years ago by a handful of people to stand steadfast with the Soviet people in their time of need. The early 1990s was an especially difficult time for the Soviet people. Forty years of surreptitious betrayal by traitors and renegades finally came to a head with the collapse of a once glorious and mighty society.

The greatness of the Soviet Union was built by the collective and personal sacrifices of the Soviet workers and peasants. Before 1917, Russia was a prison house of nations, a sea of peasants nailed to wooden plows and medieval barbarism, and three million workers in urban hovels. Great October opened a new chapter in human history. The one hundred million peasants led by three million workers literally sprung society from its wretched chains.

The new worker led society industrialized not once but twice, raised the general cultural level of its people to the highest in the world, developed technological and scientific marvels - from wooden plows pulled by downtrodden womenfolk to Sputnik - established crèches and resorts for workers, froze food prices for decades, lowered housing cost to a tiny fraction of income, and raised the cultural, technical and managerial skills of the working class.

Such marvels was paid for by the sacrifices of tens of millions to defeat the invasion of the Soviet Union by 14 imperialist countries in the early 1920s, to defeat the Japanese invasion in the late 1930s, to defeat the Nazi war machine and to destroy the imperial reserves of the Japanese imperial army in World War II, all the while extending material, political and military aid to other oppressed peoples around the world. Truly without such heroic sacrifices the hell of fascism would have triumph.

Yet such heroism would be undermined by those opportunists who weaseled their way into senior positions of leadership to sew confusion, and undermine the advancing of social development.

We mention all these to underline the importance of correct and principled leadership for the working class to advance its mission to end all exploitation and oppression in the world. Such a noble mission cannot advance unless the working class raises from its ranks its very best, selfless and incorruptible, always putting first the interest of the working class and people.

Brother Crispin Beltran was such a man. Fifty years of unblemished service to the working class and people, incorruptible to the end, a man of simple life and hard struggle. We salute you Bros. Beltran! May your life be an example and inspiration to millions of workers disgusted by the starvation, destruction and fear despite the abundance produced by their own hands, to seize the day and to seize the hour to make the world a better place!