On Carlos Celdran's Death

Last week, Carlos Celdran, a famous activist and tour guide died. All accounts simply say he died of natural causes which leads me to think maybe it was a stroke or some other disease that had been slowly killing him could be why he'd been staying in Spain since the beginning of this year.

I had been a fan of Carlos Celdran when my Aunt and Uncle took me to a walking tour where he was a guide. I learned a lot about the walled city of Intramuros, which I swear came alive during his tour. He was talented and knowledgeable. That's undeniable. He was also arrogant.

In 2010, he attended a mass which he disrupted in the middle to protest the Church's stance to the RH bill (now RH law). In that stint, he was calling the priests of the Catholic Church, Padre Damasos, a fictional character from Noli Me Tangere who is known for being hypocritical. He was later imprisoned for "hurting religious feelings". I guess that's the term the Philippine government decided to use to refer to disrupting religious services.

Whether you agree with Carlos Celdran on the issue or not, it was wrong of him to disrupt a religious service. He might've gotten more support if he had voiced his Padre Damaso outside of mass. I still wouldn't have agreed with him but I would have at least taken him more seriously. At that point, I knew he had his demons. I still believe he loves his country but I think he took it a step too far in that direction.

More striking is one of his last tweets where he retweeted a news bit which said President Duterte has an auto immune disease. To this he responded with, "Good. Now die. Please. Kthanxbye." This is shocking to me. I know he very much dislikes Duterte but to wish ill will upon someone else is something beyond what I thought he could do. The irony in this story is that the day after he tweeted this, he was the one who died. When I read the story, I couldn't believe it.

Now, his death with somehow always be connected to that last tweet of his. After his Padre Damaso stunt, I never liked Carlos Celdran even during the few times I agreed with him. But I can only hope only for the best for his soul. May he rest in peace.