Tuesday, May 27, 2008

In Memoriam: Ka Bel, 1933 - 2008

Kung terorista ang turing nila pag pinaglaban mo ang karapatan nang maralita, gugustohin ko pang matawag na terorista habang buhay. – Crispen Beltran

I first heard of Crispin Beltran when I was a college freshman. Popularly called Ka Bel, he was a principled man, a man who practices what he preaches, a labor leader and fighter for the rights of the common man. He weathered Martial Law, the oppression of the present administration and a failing health. He died when he fell down trying to fix his leaking roof.

In a country where you can acquire wealth and power by being elected as a congressman, with a total asset of P50,000, he is the poorest among the members of the House of Representative.

So long Ka Bel. You’re gone but you won’t be forgotten.

6 comments:

  1. What an irony no? He weathered the powers that be only to die falling from a roof which he wanted to fix himself. A true laborer, he could have asked someone else do that for him easily. Just shows that he was a man of principles.

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  2. Ka rolly, kung ang majority nang mambabatas katulad nya, maganda ang hinaharap nang ating inang bayan.

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  3. Ka Bel is one of the greatest Filipino that ever lived,He was honest and very patriotic man , Now a days we rarely see this kind of patriot that sacrifices his entire adult life to fight side by side with the masses and working class for what he believes was the right thing to do and just and I feel lucky that he had served in my generation.Nevertheless he never died in vain for his legacies was ingrained in the heart of every Filipino who believe in freedom and principles democracy, free of graft and corruption.A just society free of tyrants and greedy politicians. Ka Abel kudos...

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  4. nakakalungkot isipin nabawasan na naman ang pinas ng isang totoong tagapagtanggol hindi lang maralita kundi ng buong bansa..kung di pa sya namatay di ko pa malalaman na kapitbahay ko pala sya..

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  5. ed v., wildflower,
    Kagabi napanood ko yung eulogy ni Satur Ocampo kay Ka Bel. Minsan daw hinatak sya nito sa isang tabi at pabulong na sinabi "Satur, may dalawang daan ka ba dyan? Pahiram muna". Hindi ko namalayang tumutulo ang aking luha.

    Ganyan kamaprinsipyo si Ka Bel. Kahit mambabatas hindi ginamit ang pwesto para magkamkam nang pera.

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  6. If all politicians were like him, the country would be a lot more progressive and people would have a lot more faith in our politicians. Siguro, mas cohesive ang lipunan natin at hindi watak-watak tulad ngayon.

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