Saturday, March 10, 2007

Beltran looks forward to his one-day day of freedom on Monday as he leads Anakpawis filing of nominees at the Comelec

Saturday March 10, 2007

Beltran looks forward to his one-day day of freedom on Monday as he leads Anakpawis filing of nominees at the Comelec

Anakpawis Representative and political detainee Crispin Beltran today said that he was 'very much looking forward' to being temporarily released on Monday, March 12, 2007 as he leads Anakpawis Party-List in filing the names of its official nominees to the party-list elections at the Comelec offices in Intramuros. Beltran will be escorted by 10 operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). In front of the Comelec, Anakpawis supporters will be holding a welcome rally. Beltran will be joined by his wife and partner of 50 years Rosario Soto-Beltran, their children and granchildren.

Beltran, unjustly incarcerated on false charges of inciting to sedition and rebellion, remains Anakpawis' first nominee to the polls. This is is third time to run for congress under the party-list system. The first time was in 2001 when he ran as Bayan Muna's second nominee. In 2004, he led the then newly-established Anakpawis as its chairman and first nominee. Anakpawis secured two seats in the House of Representatives, Beltran being joined by peasant leader and Kilusang Magbubukid (KMP) president Rafael Mariano.

Monday will be Beltran's first time to leave the confines of his room at the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) where he has been under 'hospital arrest' since April 2006. He was originally detained in Camp Crame, but because of unstable health, he was moved to the PHC. Beltran is 74 and suffers from hyper-tension.

Beltran said that he was proud and honored to lead Anakpawis in the party-list elections. Despite his incarceration, Anakpawis supporters, members and leaders still lobbied for his nomination during Anakpawis' February convention.

He said that he was troubled by the pending arrest of fellow progressive lawmaker Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, and condemned the Macapagal-Arroyo government anew for what he termed as 'blatant political repression' and 'its outrageous lies and manipulation of its own laws."

"I've been locked up for an entire year and it was not just myself or my family who suffered, but the constituents of Anakpawis who were denied the full services of my office. Now the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has hatched this plot with the full blessing of Pres. Arroyo to go after Ka Satur and inflict the same on him. The Filipino people can see through this infamy, discern the motives of the government to weaken the strong voice of their representatives in congress and the parliament of the streets," he said. "By attacking the progressive party-lists, the Arroyo government attacks the Filipino people who's economic welfare and political interests we have at heart."

"Pres. Arryo has given the AFP and the militarists led by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales free reign in imposing an all-outr crackdown against the progressive partylists, but they will not succeed in this. We remain loved, respected and supported by Filipino voters, and they will continue to vote for us despite the attempts of the AFP to criminalize and disqualify us. It is the military that does not have the support of the Filipino people. It is Pres. Arroyo whom voters want to eschew and junk. The swiftly deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines has completely exposed the repressive and anti-people nature of the Arroyo presidency. The mlitary has gained full control of the government, and it's slowly being revealed that Macapagal-Arroyo has been reduced to mere talking and titular head, he concluded.#

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