CULTURAL activist Carlos Celdran had passed away, and along with that are the tough acts that he pulled as a critic of the church and everything anti-Filipino. He was 46.

He was in Spain when he died. He left the country after the Supreme Court upheld the decision to convict him for “offending religious feelings.”

Spotlight was trained on him when, in September 2010, he wore a black suit and staged a protest inside the Manila Cathedral while an ecumenical service was ongoing. It was then attended by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the Papal Nuncio, former Philipine Ambassador to Rome Henrietta De Villa, and leaders of Christian groups.

He was then protesting against the stand of the church on the Reproductive Health Bill, which has been passed into law.

Celdran is a tough act to follow. He was a complete performer who got his message across by doing remarkable stunts in public. That was his role; he was a patriot with courage and grit to face up to the enemies. He will be missed, and I hope there will be another one to pick up his stunts. (By Ces Bituon, Cebu City)