SIKLAB-B.C.
Committee for the Immediate Release of Congressman Crispin Beltran
Press Release

FILIPINOS AND CANADIANS IN VANCOUVER CELEBRATE RELEASE OF PHILIPPINE CONGRESSMAN BELTRAN, CALL HIS RELEASE A VICTORY FOR THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

July 16, 2007

Over 40 overseas Filipinos and Canadians gathered together in Vancouver to celebrate the release of Philippine Congressman Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran last Friday.

Congressman Beltran was recently released on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 from the Philippine Heart Centre in Manila where he was being detained under charges of rebellion by the Philippine Government since his illegal arrest in February 2006. The Philippine Supreme Court found that the charges against Beltran could not be substantiated and also dismissed the government's motion of reconsideration and therefore ordered his release.

Arrested without warrant, Congressman Beltran was arbitrarily imprisoned by the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime to silence one of its harshest critics as part of her counter-insurgency plan, Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Freedom Watch). The Arroyo regime has increasingly used state-sponsored acts such as illegal incarceration to silence political opposition. Beltran was detained for almost a year and a half.

“Ka Bel’s release from detention is truly a significant victory!” says Glecy Duran, Chairperson of SIKLAB-B.C. (Advance the Rights & Welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers in Canada).

“Ka Bel holds a special place in our hearts as overseas Filipino workers in Canada,” continued Duran, “Congressman Beltran has always showed his genuine concern for us, his fellow Filipinos abroad, who are mostly workers displaced from the Philippines because of the country's chronic economic and political crisis."

In 1995, Congressman Beltran traveled to Vancouver, B.C., to help launch SIKLAB-B.C.  as a new organization to advocate for the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers.  In 2005, he sponsored House Resolution #643, calling for the Philippines Congress to investigate abuses of Filipino women under Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). 

“It is a victory not only for the Filipino people but also for the working class. Ka Bel has always been a leading figure for workers rights in the Philippines and he has made an impact not only in the Philippines but globally,” says Jen Efting of the Bus Riders Union, who also met Congressman Beltran last year while on a fact finding mission on human rights violations in the Philippines. 

The evening of celebration was organized by SIKLAB-B.C. and the Canadian Committee for the Immediate Release of Congressman Crispin Beltran. The organizers took the opportunity to thank all those in Canada that supported the campaign for the Congressman’s release.

Since Congressman Beltran’s illegal arrest, the Canadian Committee quickly formed as part of the international campaign organized for Beltran’s release. Throughout the last year, the Committee organized various roundtable discussions, rallies, lobbying efforts, and educational forums to press for Ka Bel’s release in conjunction with the Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights. In particular, members of the Canadian Committee met with Canadian Senator Sharon Carstairs who visited with Congressman Beltran during a fact-finding mission organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
 
Supporters of Congressman Crispin Beltran from other communities and organizations also joined in the celebration such as the Bus Riders Union, SANSAD, Grassroots Women, People’s Front, Alliance for People’s Health, International Council for Friendship with the Soviet People and the Hospital Employees Union.

There was a dinner along with a short program which included speakers from various organizations who gave their congratulations or shared personal stories of meeting withCongressman Beltran. There were also songs sung, poems read and a short video presentation showcasing the Philippine Congressman’s release. The participants in the celebration also gave donations for the recently-released Congressman’s hospital and legal bills.

“It’s really a celebration for us to not only witness this momentous occasion, but to know the efforts of the Filipino community and supporters abroad helped to contribute to Ka Bel's release. Ka Bel’s release is a victory for those who believe in genuine democracy in the Philippines,” explained Suzanne Baustad of the Canadian Committee for the Immediate Release of Congressman Crispin Beltran.

While the evening celebrated Congressman Beltran’s release as a victory of the Filipino people, the celebration also underscored the necessity for Canadian’s continued vigilance with the deteriorating situation of human rights and democracy in the Philippines, and the implementation of the Human Security Act – the new anti-terror law of President Arroyo.

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For photos for the Vancouver Celebration of Congressman Crispin Beltran’s release from detention, please visit our website: http://kalayaancentre.net/

Photos available at:  <http://kalayaancentre.net/assets/images/photos/2007/vancouver_kabel_victoryparty.htm>