Fil-Am rock group mourns Beltran’s death
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 18:34:00 05/20/2008
Filed Under: Music, Protest, Politics, Migration
MANILA, Philippines -- A US-based Filipino punk rock band extended their condolences on Tuesday to the family of the late Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Representative Crispin Beltran.
In an e-mail sent to INQUIRER.net, Kadena (Chain), which bills itself on its MySpace page as “an anti-fascist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist, all-Filipino political street punk rock band based in Brooklyn,” New York, said they were “mourning the passing away of one of the greatest Filipino labor leader, unionist and working-class fighter, Beltran.”
The band’s MySpace profile shows a photo of Beltran speaking at a rally.
Beltran, former chairman of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU, May 1st Movement), died Tuesday morning after accidentally falling from the rooftop of his Bulacan home and sustaining severe brain injuries. He was 75.
“We, members of the pro-working class band Kadena gather our inspiration for our music from the history and struggles of the Filipino proletariat and [their] very powerful, militant and vibrant labor movement under the banner of Kilusang Mayo Uno,” the band said.
Kadena said Beltran was their inspiration when composing left-leaning and pro-labor music.
“Ka Bel remains one great inspiration for many Filipino-Americans,” the band said.
“We offer our greatest honor, highest respect and most militant salutation to a person who was not just a leader but a model everyone should emulate. Ka Bel is a genuine proletarian who stood firm against the test of time. As a worker he has struggled for and alongside the Filipino working class against tyranny and oppression through decades against various regimes,” Kadena added.
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