Three months later, Beltran was transferred to the PC Stockade as the legal battle for liberty dragged on at a torturous pace. Of the 52 political detainees at the Stockade, 35 were trade unionists, including PISTON leader Menardo Roda. Many other activists languished in jail at Bicutan, Fort Bonifacio, and Camp Aguinaldo, including Satur Ocampo, now Bayan Muna (people first) congressman.

Beltran says that he was more fortunate than the other detainees, who were subjected to intense physical torture while in confinement.

“We, the trade union detainees, were spared the taste of physical torture,” Beltran wrote in a letter Feb. 18, 1984. “But we got dosages of psychological torture in many forms. One is the usual prodding, either directly said to us or through our relatives, that at least we forget about all our principles and organizations and cooperate or switch loyalty to the fascist camp, point a finger of accusation against our fellow trade unionists and gain immediate liberty plus a good lifestyle.”

Jail conditions were deplorable, too. “We have been treated as maximum security prisoners…One was in leg irons. Food rations are so inferior in quality and quantity as to be rejected even by our puppy. Ventilation, sanitation, water supply and lighting facilities have been dismal,” he recalled. “We sometimes have to contend with some abusive and rude jail custodians as well as maintain a respectable relationship between us and the common criminals, mostly PC-INP and military personnel with charges like robbery-holdup with murder, rape and drugs,” he added.

Family woes

For Ka Osang, Beltran’s incarceration was a period of extreme emotional and material hardship for his family. At the time, there was an active demolition threat against the GAO slum community where they lived. She also had to wake up each day at around 4 a.m. to wash clothes or sell slippers and other wares in the market for the children’s needs. Often having no more money left for the fare to Camp Crame, she would walk all the way to the headquarters from Fairview afterwards.

“Mantaking kahit na hindi pa nakakulong at nasa hanap-buhay pa ang aming asawa’y talagang dahop na, ngayon pa kaya?” she said (Even if they were not yet imprisoned and were still working, we were already hard-up—how much more today?).

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