In 1982, the Marcos dictatorship conducted a crackdown against militant labor, raided the offices of KMU and NAFLU, and arrested Ka Bert and Ka Bel, among others. Ka Bert who was 79 then did not survive the harsh prison conditions. But Ka Bel escaped prison in 1984 and continued organizing peasants and workers in the countryside. He returned to Metro Manila and assumed the presidency of KMU in 1987 when Rolando “Ka Lando” Olalia was brutally murdered during the Aquino administration. Concurrent with his holding of the helm of KMU, Ka Bel was also the president of the Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organizations.

Ka Bel was the chairperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) from 1993-1999. He was also the chairperson of the International League for People’s Struggles, an international anti-imperialist alliance, in 2002.

He served as vice chairperson and one of the three representatives of Bayan Muna from 2001-2003. In 2004, Ka Bel became a representative of Anakpawis party-list.

Ka Bel was a leader of the working class and he was instrumental in the formation of militant labor organizations and in leading workers’ struggles. He was a patriot and, throughout his life, he was active in the struggle against all forms of foreign domination, from the Japanese occupation to imperialist globalization. Ka Bel believed in social emancipation and he has consistently fought for the rights and interests of the oppressed and exploited classes and sectors in different arena: in factories, in rural areas, in the streets, and in the halls of Congress.

Ka Bel exemplified the tenacity and steadfastness of a man who is firm in his principles; the organization and discipline of the worker; and the humanity and selflessness of one who is genuinely committed to serve the people. To sum it up, Ka Bel is a true revolutionary from the working class. (Bulatlat.com)

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