IN FINLAND, IRAN AND MOST OF LATIN America, where it is called “Ystavanpaiva,” “Esfandegan” and “Día del Amor y la Amistad,” respectively, Valentine’s Day is more about remembering friends, not just loved ones.
And that’s exactly how Sen. Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal plans to spend Feb. 14 this year.
For Madrigal, an independent presidential candidate, and her French husband Eric Jean Claude Valade, “every day is Valentine’s Day.”
“But there are other people who have been part of my life as a legislator who are also worth remembering on Valentine’s Day. ‘Ka Bel’ is one of them,” Madrigal told the Inquirer.
Ka Bel is the late labor leader and party-list Rep. Crispin Beltran, also one of the staunchest critics of the Arroyo administration.
Beltran, called the “Grand Old Man of Philippine Labor,” was associated with mass actions and practically everything having to do with the militant labor movement during the Marcos years until his death in 2008.
“Ka Bel is special to me because there are a few people who have his conviction. I had the chance to visit his hometown (Bacacay, Albay) where I saw his humble beginnings,” said Madrigal.
“That is why when he died, I went with his hearse and stood for four hours in a truck which carried his remains from Commonwealth (Avenue in Quezon City) to his final resting place in Bulacan. That day I told myself this is the least tribute I can pay a man who fought the Marcos dictatorship and who really lived his ideals. I cried and was touched that many people lined the streets and gave the clenched fist salute.”
Madrigal’s friendship with Beltran “started when I was a senator, when I began joining antigovernment rallies.”
“It’s no secret that my views are more progressive than any of my colleagues because I believe in empowering the grassroots and not empowering the rich and powerful. Otherwise, we cannot have real change in this country.”
Sometime in the mid-1950s, Beltran began his career in the labor movement, serving as president of both the Yellow Taxi Drivers Union and the Amalgamated Taxi Drivers Federation.
In February 2006, he was implicated in an alleged plot to overthrow the Arroyo administration.
On May 20, 2008, Beltran died following a fall from the roof of his home in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, which he had been repairing. He was 75.
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