Supporters give Ka Bel last glimpse of Mendiola

MANILA, Philippines - Supporters and colleagues of late Anakpawis partylist Rep. Crispin Beltran on Wednesday morning gave him a "last glimpse" of Mendiola Bridge in Manila as they held a program there in his honor. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that militant labor groups promised Beltran they will continue his fight to uphold the rights of laborers. The historic bridge was made part of the route of the funeral procession for Beltran, a veteran labor leader who led numerous march to this historical landmark. Beltran died Tuesday last week after a bad fall following an accident at his house in Bulacan. Militants showed their defiance at the government by leaving behind a wreath at the foot of Mendiola Bridge near Malacañang, the site of several protest rallies. No confrontation with police or presidential guards was reported during the brief program, where some militants raised clenched fists as the funeral procession passed Mendiola. Earlier in the morning, the funeral march to Mendiola was delayed briefly by early-morning rains. Beltran's remains were brought out of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) cathedral in Manila at 6 a.m. and placed aboard a 10-wheeler truck, then made a stop at the Mendiola Bridge en route to the Lower House in Quezon City for the necrological rites. Supporters wearing red and black shirts, along with television camera teams, climbed aboard the truck as it made its way along traffic at Taft Avenue. Jeeps and vehicles carrying Beltran's supporters, many of them workers from Southern Luzon, joined the procession. Beltran's supporters also gathered at the Mabuhay Rotonda at the boundary of Manila and Quezon City, vowing to continue his fight for a P125 wage hike. As of 7 a.m., the procession had reached Ayala Bridge, and was on its way to Mendiola Bridge where the funeral organizers hoped to give Beltran a "final glimpse" of the symbolic bridge. The organizers, who initially planned to hold a program at Bonifacio Shrine near City Hall, planned to hold a brief program near Mendiola before proceeding to Quezon City. Beltran's remains were due 9 a.m. at the Lower House for necrological rites, before a funeral march to Fairview and then to his home province in Bulacan. Several workers from factories in Southern Metro Manila took a leave from their work Wednesday to attend Beltran's funeral, the report said. The night before, Beltran's supporters held a final tribute to Beltran at the IFI. - GMANews.TV