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KA BEL IS IN THE HEART OF EVERY FILIPINO
WHO VALUE JUSTICE AND FREEDOM
Ka Bel is a man of honor and a man of conviction. Coming from a poor
background, he understood very well the plight of the toiling masses in
the Philippines and around the world. He fought for the workers, the
farmers, the urban poor and other marginalized sectors in Philippine
society. He went through numerous battles and all were not easy. But he
persevered. For more than 5o years, he frontlined almost all battles in
the streets of Manila and key cities around the world to carry the voice
of the oppressed and the exploited. Not even once did he backed down even
in the face of much stronger and merciless adversaries. He stood the test
of times, so to speak. And this is one thing I admire most about him.
Name all pains - he suffered them all. But he stood his ground for the
poor and the oppressed, uncompromising and incorruptible. He is like the
commander anyone would want to side by in the fiercest of battle because
everyone knew he’s that kind of person. A man who would not turn his back
on his people. He is selfless.
I am one of the lucky people in Japan who have had the opportunity to know
Ka Bel. We had numerous encounters both here and in the Philippines – all
of them pleasant.
I must say, he is one person and leader I would be happy to meet over and
over again because he was pure and unassuming in spite of his numerous
achievements as a labor leader and as a legislator.
The news about his untimely demise shocked me. I thought he had many more
years ahead of him. At 75 years old, much remains to be done for Ka Bel.
So I pity the Filipino people because they lost a good man…a friend…and a
defender. There will be future generations of leaders, but I think, there
will only be one like Ka Bel.
I mourn his death as a friend and as a lover of justice and freedom. Ka
Bel’s shall be remembered with fondness and admiration. He is a patriot
who had only big dreams for the Filipino people.
It’s too bad he is no longer with us.
Rev. Toshifumi Aso
May 23, 2008
On the occasion of MIGRANTE-Japan’s “Parangal Para sa Bayani ng Bayan”,
KAFIN Migrant Center, Saitama, Japan
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