PRESS STATEMENT
May 2008
The International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) extends its heartfelt condolences to Ka Osang Beltran, to the children, grand children and great grand children of Philippine Congressman and genuine labor leader, the Honorable Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran. IAPL also extends condolences to the Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Party, of which he was the President and representative in Congress, and to the leadership and member unions of Kilusang Mayo Uno (May first Movement), and to all Filipinos fighting for freedom, justice and democracy.
Ka Bel died on May 20, 2008, after falling off the roof of his home which he was repairing. He wanted to make sure that the roof would not leak during the coming rainy season. Though he was a Congressman, he lived in a tiny, unpainted home quite the opposite of other Congressmen who live lavish and luxurious lifestyles.
Ka Bel was a labor leader since the 1950’s. He was a former taxi driver and union organizer. He helped organize the Confederation of Labor of the Philippines, the Philippine Workers Congress and the labor organizations KASAMA and PAKMAP. He helped form the Federations of Unions in Rizal and the Philippine Nationalist Labor Organizations. He became the president of the Kilusang Mayo Uno, the most militant labor federation in the Philippines today.
When the partylist system presented opportunities to the marginalized sectors, Ka Bel was one of three members of the Bayan Muna (People First) Party to be elected to Congress. Later, he helped form the Anakpawis Party.
Ka Bel was also an internationalist. When the International League of Peoples’ Struggle was organized in 2001, he was elected its first Chairman.
His years as a trade unionist and political activist earned him the ire of Philippine presidents and military. He was imprisoned several times. In 1984, he made a daring escape from prison. His last imprisonment was in 2006, when he was imprisoned for a year and a half by the Arroyo regime. The campaigns and protests from around the world calling for his release helped much in securing his release. The international campaigns strengthened the staunch legal defense provided by people’s lawyers in the Philippines who are also leading members of the IAPL.
Through his experiences in the struggles of workers and other sectors of Philippine society, and as a political activist, Ka Bel saw and appreciated the work of people’s lawyers. He openly praised their work, recognized their contribution to the struggle, and encouraged young lawyers to become people’s lawyers. As chairman of the ILPS he attended the court hearings in Turkey in the case of the unjustly detained Deputy Chairman of the ILPS, Memik Horuz and saw again, the selfless work of people’s lawyers there. He attended the hearings and gave open support to the legal defense of ILPS Chairperson Prof. Jose Ma. Sison in Luxembourg.
The International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) joins the numerous tributes of trade unions, political parties, solidarity groups, and political organizations in the Philippines and outside, in extolling the exemplary life, work and struggles of Ka Bel, a proletarian, trade unionist, political activist, and internationalist. His unflinching principles and selfless dedication to the cause of the poor and oppressed give meaning to the work of and inspire people’s lawyers all over the world.#
27 May 2008
Reference: Rafael Jespers, Secretary General