Ka Bel and Ka Osang
Though a political
detainee for the second time, Ka Bel will renew vows with Ka Osang on Sunday, November 26.Limangpung taon ng pagsasama, 50 taon ng pag-ibig at pakibika.
Close family, friends and
supporters will stand witness as colleagues
and comrades in Anakpawis Party-list and the Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM) throw a small but heartfelt gathering for political detainee and
Anakpawis Representative Crispin B. Beltran and his wife and partner Mrs.
Rosario Soto-Beltran on Sunday, November 26, 2006. The gathering will be in
tribute of the couple who celebrated their 50th Golden wedding anniversary last
November 16. There will a renewal of vows ceremony and a short mass.
The original venue of the
celebration was the Balai Kalinaw inside the UP Diliman Campus. Makati Regional
Trial Court Branch 150 headed by Judge Elmo Alameda, however, turned down the
petition of Ka Bel’s lawyers that Ka Bel be allowed to leave the premises of
the Philippine Heart Center for a few hours to attend the mass, short program
and reception.
Ka Bel and
Ka Osang will instead renew their marriage vows at the Catholic chapel of the
Philippine Heart Center, and the reception will be held at the Balintataw Garden inside the Parks and Wildlife park in Quezon City. The groom won’t be able to join his bride for the reception, but hey, ganyan talaga ang malupit na gobyerno ni Gloria Arroyo.
Ka Bel and Ka Osang’s friends,
families and colleagues are working very hard to make this event a happy and
memorable one for the couple. Ka Bel and Ka Osang have been through so much
together; this is the second time that Ka Bel has been arrested and
detained for a prolonged period. The first time was in August 1982, when Ka Bel
was arrested by the military along with other labor leaders of the Kilusang
Mayo Uno. He was incarcerated for two
years.
The couple already had 10 children
when Ka Bel was jailed. Ka Osang kept the rest of the family alive with
donations from KMU and sympathizers. She also sold fish and slippers in the market. Then, like
now, they lived in the squatters’ community in Gao, Commonwealth, Quezon City
Ka Osang walked from Commonwealth to Crame, where Ka Bel was detained.
Most of the food that will be
served tomorrow are gifts and offerings. Karamihan luto o regalo ng mga
nagmamahal kina Ka Bel at Ka Osang. Guests will be served lechon, pasta
carbonara, pansit bihon, spaghetti, baked macaroni, chocolate cake,
chicken lollipop, fresh lumpia, fried lumpia, sandwiches, fruit salad, fruit
juice and softdrink.
As for Ka Bel who is watching his
heart and his blood pressure, he will only be having salad and the fresh
lumpia. Maybe if he begs for lechon we would let him have some.
Invited to be the primary sponsors are former Vice-President Teofisto
Guingona; Senate President Manny Villar; Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Sen. Jamby Madrigal
Sen. Joker Arroyo; Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Roseller Barinaga; Albay
Rep. Edcel Lagman; Las Pinas Rep.
Cynthia Villar; Cebu Rep. Clavel Martinez; Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano, mga
kinatawan ng Bayan Muna na sina Satur Ocampo, Joel Virador at Teddy Casino;
Rep. Teofisto Guingona III; Makati
Mayor Jejomar Binay; Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte; National
Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera; Public Interest Law Center
President Atty. Romeo Capulong; Dr.
Lenny Jara; KMU chair Elmer Labog, Bayan Muna President Dr.
Reynaldo Lesaca; Nenita Gonzaga, Norma Binas, at si Atty. Gregorio Fabros.
The mass will be jointly officiated by Kairos president Fr.
Joe Dizon at Fr. Ferdie Punaller.
Some 200 people representing various
people’s organizations as well as other
colleagues from Congress as expected to attend.
So many have expressed their wish
to see Ka Bel and greet him and Ka Osang for their special gathering, but we
can’t have everyone attend because of
the small venue and the security considerations. All of Ka Bel’s 11, children,
27 grandchildren and three great grandchildren, however, will be able to
attend.
The couple chose gold and red as
the motif colors for the celebration. Gold because it’s their golden anniversary and the color of the flame of
the sulo in the logo of Anakpawis which Ka Bel continues to lead as its
chairman. Red because it’s the color of relentless struggle and sacrifice; and
also because it’s the color of unabiding love.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court has still to act on the last
motion filed by Beltran’s lawyers calling on High Court to lay down a temporary restraining order and a writ of
preliminary injunction to restrain the Macapagal-Arroyo administration represented
by the Department of Justice and its secretary Raul Gonzales from proceeding with Criminal Case No.
06-452, or charges of rebellion against Ka Bel. We filed the case last October 30.
Ka Bel’s lawyers Atty. Capulong, Atty.
Amylyn Sato and Atty. Rachel Pastores as well as everyone in Ka Bel’s circle of
friends and family (including their pet dogs and puppues) are urging the High
Court to set aside the Orders dated May 31, 2006 issued by Makati RTC Judge
Encarnacion Jaja G. Moya and the Order dated August 29, 2006 issued by Judge
Elmo M. Almeda which denies Ka Bel’s Motion for Reconsideration. We also seek
the High Court’s intervention by having it enjoin respondents Judge Alameda and
Sec. Gonzalez, from proceeding with the rebellion case.
Our attorneys filed a
special civil action for Certiorari and Prohibition under Sections 1 and 2 of
Rule 65 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure.
Ka Bel’s family and supporters
enjoin the SC to set aside and annul the
May 31, 2006 Order issued by respondent Judge Moya which finds probable cause against Ka Bel for the
crime of rebellion; and the setting aside and annulment of the August 29, 2006
order by Judge Alameda, denying Ka Bel’s Motion for Reconsideration of the May 31, 2006 order.
Gonzalez is in charge of the
prosecution against Rep. Beltran.Judge Moya is the presiding judge of RTC Makati, Branch 146 Judge Alameda is the presiding judge of
Makati Branch 150.
Ka Bel’s counsels have been
consistently arguing since February when Rep. Beltran was first arrested, there
are no records to show that he was ‘lawfully arrested.’
Ka Bel was not arrested for rebellion but for the
alleged charge of inciting to sedition, in gross violation of his
constitutional privilege of immunity from arrest; none of the ‘arresting’
officers had any ‘personal knowledge’ of facts indicating that petitioner
attended a meeting on February 20, 2006 with 1Lt. San Juan and form a tactical
alliance to overthrow the government.
Despite the complete failure of the
prosecution to refute Rep. Beltran’s defenses, if not its silence, on the valid
issues ka Bel and his attorneys raised, the judges continue to turn a blind eye to these and the glaring
infirmities in the case for the prosecution, in grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of
jurisdiction and to the enormous prejudice of Ka Bel.
Atty. Sato and Atty. Pastores have also said that Judge Alameda acted unreasonably
and with grave abuse of discretion in denying Beltran’s motion for
reconsideration despite lack of probable cause and the fatal defects of the
case for the prosecution.
They say that it’s clear that Ka Bel
is being denied plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of
law. The respondents — led by Sec. Gonzales – and Ka Bel’s accusers and
prosecutors are causing grave and irreparable damage to Ka Bel’s
constitutional rights unless injunctive
relief is given him via he issuance of a
writ of preliminary injunction and/or temporary restraining order stopping
Gonzales et al from proceeding with the hearing and/or any
other stage of this fake criminal case.
Not once during the entire time Ka
Bel’ case has been heard have the RTCs in charge laid down any decision that
had any semblance to being fair and just. Ka Bel has been incarcerated for
nine months now, and every single day
that he remains under detention affirms how extreme the political repression is
in the Philippines.
He is not guilty of anything but serving his constituents faithfully and
well.
