Saturday, June 9, 2007

Release Crispin Beltran Now

Crispin Beltran is the 74 year old Anakpawis party-list representative who has been detained since February 2006. He is a lifelong activist who has committed his life to fighting for the rights of the poor. A few days ago, even the Supreme Court chided the government for continuing to harass Beltran by imprisoning him in a hospital over the flimsiest of charges. Beltran needs to be released immediately.

It is not hard to see why communism continues to flourish in our country even when the original Marxists and Maoists in China and the USSR are rapidly becoming extinct. Communism is a flawed economic model. It will definitely not work in our country. But just as we don't imprison our leaders for continuing to implement failed economic policies, we should also leave Beltran and his group alone as long as they pursue their goals with active nonviolence.

I submit that it is even more of a crime if we do not do anything at this time. If we pretend that we are on our merry way to achieving first world status in 20 years, if we continue to hope that our leaders will experience mass conversion and discard their corrupt and inept ways. Beltran rose from the ranks as a labor leader over more than 50 years. He has tirelessly fought for human rights, higher wages, trade disparities, disastrous debt policies.

Any rational person will understand why some groups resort to violence because it is a form of violence to allow and perpetuate a majority of our people to live under horrible and hopeless conditions. To many of us, we have run out of options. Nothing in what we see today is going to make life more bearable tomorrow. We cannot see the light.

But it would be a terrible mistake to go down the path of violence. I think even the most hard-core revolutionaries understand this. The rich will only get richer and the poor, poorer. We need to remain militant, progressive, demanding, educated, firm and nonviolent.

Release Crispin Beltran now.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doc: Earlier you mentioned your strong feelings about over 500,000 abortions conducted in the Philippines in unsupervised clinics, alleys, many by quacks.
Can the country look to you for leadership? The issue is a call to action!!!
(a) Rape/incest.
(b) Underaged sex.
(c) Unprotected sex.
(d) Unintended pregnancies.
(e) Undesired pregnancies.
(f) Lack of government nor charity financial aid to parents unable to care for so many children (and population control)
(g) Unsupervised abortion medical procedures -- Filipinas dying or getting butchered.

Anonymous said...

Doc: Earlier you wrote about a preferential option for the poor. Why deprive the middle-class of this option?

Also, you state that population control is a relative perspective, and ask the question of whether there is a problem for a prosperous couple to have 25 children. Are you proposing to limit the number of children poor couples have, while allowing the rich to have as many children as they want?

Anonymous said...

anonymous: if you click on on "other" for identity and name yourself as 'anino' or 'anonym', then you won't be mistaken as one of probably two other anonymous posters on this blogsite.

Anonymous said...

test ... this is ano nino.

Unknown said...

The Supreme Court was very clear on this.... no probable cause for the indictment, therefore his continued detention is illegal, cruel, and immoral.

Something is really wrong with our "authorities" the attitude and mindset of abusing their authority and power coupled with blatant disregard for the rule of law will only radicalize the poor.

It comes as no surprise that none of these morons comprehend what the SC decision really meant especially that Alzheimer guy of the injustice department.

Tito Cesar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tito Cesar said...

To be a communist today is not a crime. But to give support to the communist NPA whose objective is to bring down a constitutional government is. I still have to hear Beltran and his ilk who now serve in Congress to denounce the NPAs and condemn them for their atrocious activities like extortion and murder against innocent civilians in the country side. They cannot be categorized as freedom fighters. They are bandits to say the least. For as long as the leftist congressmen do not denounce and disassociate themselves from this pernicious group they can never earn the respect and sympathy of the public, except those from the leftists themsleves. The rule of law must prevail at all times but it must not be used to shield the elements of society whose objectives are to destabilize a constitutional government and break down law and order.

Unknown said...

Tito Cesar, what exactly are you talking about? To be a communist is not illegal but they must denounce the communist? What kind of law is that?

The SC was very clear on this membership with the Communist Party does not constitute rebellion unless one takes up arms openly espousing violent overthrow of a "constitutional" government.

Tolerance, we need more of it and hopefully it will slowly rid the nation of ignorance and ignoramuses.