Alexander Martin Remollino
Sa alaala ni Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran, lider-manggagawa, 1933-2008
Maramot sa liwanag ang araw
at siya'y nagtatago sa likod ng mga abuhing ulap
nang ikaw ay iwan ng huli mong hininga.
Hindi ka nasawi sa larangan,
di-gaya ng siya mong nais.
Ngunit huwag mo sanang isiping ang iyong pagyao
ay hindi paglisan ng isang bayani,
sapagkat hanggang sa huli mong hininga,
may ligtas na pahingahan sa iyong puso't isip
silang nagpapagal
upang bigyan ang bansa't ang buong daigdig
ng bubong na masisilungan, kalasag
laban sa dahas ng unos at lupit ng araw.
Hanggang sa kahuli-hulihang sandali,
ang bawat tibok ng iyong puso ay laan
sa kanilang nagbabaon ng mga pako sa kahoy at kongkreto
upang itindig sa lupa ang mga tahanan.
Ikaw ay bayani,
kaya't nauukol na mabuhay nang walang hanggan
sa pambansang alaala
upang maging tanglaw sa umagang makulimlim
at sa gabing walang buwan at bituin.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteA beautiful poem and fitting tribute to our friend and hero - Ka Bel!. I also submitted my own tribute to Bulatlat after I heard about his death. I just saw him last April 5 here in Vancouver.
Too bad you didn't make it to Cebu last Dec. 2006. I met Aubrey on here way to Alberta.
Ted
Hi Ka Ted,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment, which I have read just now (June 7). I'm sure that by now you've read your tribute to him as published in Bulatlat.
I saw Ka Bel and talked with him during a forum in Makati last April 25, and I had an unexplainable feeling that I wouldn't see him again after that. The next time I would see him was at his wake.
I didn't make it to Cebu in December 2006 only because the government postponed the summit to January 2007. I did make it there in January, and I stayed for a few days at the UCCP's CenDET.
By the way, I have started writing also for UPI Asia Online as a columnist. My first column is about Ka Bel, and is posted at http://www.upiasiaonline.com/Politics/2008/06/05/crispin_beltran_the_peoples_statesman/5372/.
Alex