Tuesday, February 27, 2007 Militants rally, seek release of Beltran
MILITANT organizations led by AnakPawis Partylist held a protest rally in front of the Davao City Police Office headquarters Monday calling for the release of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) chairman and partylist representative Crispin Beltran who was arrested by the authorities a year ago.
In a press release the group issued regarding the rally, Anakpawis spokesperson Editha Duterte accused the Arroyo government of "deliberately frustrating the people's call and efforts of Beltran's legal counsels to release him."
Beltran was arrested without warrant in Del Monte, Bulacan by a team of Philippine National Police (PNP)-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group operatives led by Major Rino Corpus last February 25, 2006.
The arrest was made a day after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo placed the country in a state of national emergency through Presidential Proclamation 1017.
Militant groups claimed that the 73-year-old lawmaker and veteran labor leader was accused without basis of plotting, with the Magdalo soldiers, to oust the Arroyo government and that the rebellion case filed against him by the Marcos administration in 1985 has long been dismissed since 1988.
Duterte said, "The continued detention of Beltran exemplifies the brazen machinations by the Arroyo administration to vilify progressive party-lists through unfounded and preposterous charges of inciting to sedition or rebellion."
Since the arrest, Beltran has been detained at the PNP General Hospital inside Camp Crame, Quezon City where he is undergoing treatment for heart ailment and high blood pressure.
The demand to free Beltran has gained both domestic and international support.
In March last year, the Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM) was formed with conveners composed by former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Representatives Rene Magtubo, Roseller Barinaga and Edcel Lagman, Senator Jamby Madrigal, KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog, former Labor Minister Amado Gat Inciong, University of the Philippines Faculty Regent Professor Roland Simbulan, and Anakpawis Secretary General Cherry Clemente.
Some 250 cause-oriented, labor unions, human rights groups, socialist parties and thousands of individuals from Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Greece, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ecuador, Brazil, and Turkey have expressed their support for Beltran's release.
The FKBM in the region held a press conference Monday as well as a march rally and a "die-in" protest skit in their unceasing bid for Beltran's freedom and to ultimately end political repression.
Beltran authored House Bill 345, now known as the Beltran P125 Bill, and 10 other bills and 118 resolutions in Congress. He was also twice awarded as Most Outstanding Congressman since Anakpawis' successful installation in the Lower House in 2004. (Press release)
