KA BEL: INTERNATIONAL MARTYR OF THE TOILING MASSES

The militant Asian farmers group Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) expressed its utmost grief in the passing away of Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran – a proletarian leader, a peasant advocacy supporter, democracy defender and international martyr of the toiling masses.

Asian peasants mourned with the Filipino peasantry, workers and the rest of the toiling masses in the Philippines when the daughter of Crispin Beltran announced the legislator's demise on public television, on the hot midday of May 20, 2008.

Ka Bel, or Kasamang Bel (Comrade Bel) suffered from severe head injuries after falling from the 14ft roof of his home in Muzon, Bulacan. The partylist representative was fixing their roof to prepare for the heavy rains in the coming months. "Ka Bel was always hands-on even in the daily house chores", his daughter Ofelia Beltran – Balleta told reporters. Beltran accidentally fell from the roof, his face first causing severe brain injuries, leaving the representative in comatose until the bereaved family decided to end the doctor's efforts of reviving him for several times.

Champion of the Filipino Masses
75-year old Beltran was a champion of the Filipino masses. He was a prominent labor leader before he became partylist representative of Bayan Muna (Nation First) in 2001 and Anakpawis (toiling masses) in 2004 until this year. Ka Bel was an epitome of the struggle of the basic alliance of the workers and peasants in his four years of service as Anakpawis representative.

According to Danilo Ramos, secretary general of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Asian Peasant Coalition (APC), "Ka Bel was always with his fellow workers in the fight for wage increase and humane working conditions, he never left the urbanpoor when they were pushed away by the elite system; destroying their homes and lives, and he fought with the peasantry in their struggle against rampant militarization and oppression in the countryside, and most importantly – in our pursuit for genuine land reform.

"In fact, he is the principal author of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or HB 3059 which we are pushing the Congress to pass to permanently end our suffering of landlessness, exploitation and rural poverty."

He excelled in his work in Congress, legislating patriotic bills which advance the interest of the working class, the peasantry and other oppressed and exploited people in Philippine society. Thus, he earned his many recognitions as a premier statesman; among these the Filipino of the Year, Most Outstanding Congressman (2002-2005) and part of the Congressional Hall of Fame (2006).

Internationalist leader
But Ka Bel's valiancy doesn't end in fighting for democracy and the Filipino's liberation. He was at the forefront of the international struggle against imperialism to liberate the people from oppression all over the world.

Ka Bel was the first chairperson of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the International League of People's Struggle (ILPS) in its founding in 2001. He led the people throughout the world in their democratic struggle towards achieving socio-economic development, social justice, national and social liberation.

Until his death, he served as the honorary chairperson of the ILPS, championing the cause of all oppressed people. He was supposed to deliver a speech on neoliberal globalization and labor on the ILPS' Third International Assembly (TIA) this coming June 18, 2008.

APC, as an active member organization shares this pursuit of Ka Bel and the ILPS.

Warrior, Comrade and Hero
"Ka Bel is in every way a warrior, a comrade and a hero. Despite incessant persecution efforts of the Philippine government to thwart his heroic deeds, Ka Bel surpassed it all and emerged victorious in fighting for freedom. He is an exceptional kasama (comrade) loved not only by the Filipinos but the numerous freedom-loving people around the world as well."

"He died working and not being served, unlike the numerous corrupt Filipino politicians who live for greed for power and wealth. Until his last breath Ka Bel lived in poverty, like the millions of people being oppressed around the world by an unjust social system," Ramos added.

He also said that APC will join the millions of people in their last homage to Ka Bel on May 28 (interment day) which has been declared as national day of mourning and protest by his fellow workers. Furthermore, APC supports the workers' call for work stoppage on the said day, and encouraged peasants in the Philippines, as well as elsewhere in Asia to go on a farm holiday as the rural counterpart of work stoppage in factories.

"We in Asian Peasant Coalition will definitely miss Ka Bel, but his contributions to the peasantry of Asia and the world will always be remembered and will further impel us and all the exploited people across the world to continue his legacy of steadfast struggle for freedom and liberation," ended Ramos. ###