Push Admin

Days in exile: Short docu provides glimpse into Carlos Celdran’s life in Spain

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h43I_u2FHjw?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>&quot;It&#x27;s amazing how much I gave up just to feel safe,&quot; said activist and performance artist Carlos Celdran, who went to Madrid after he was found guilty of &quot;offending religious feelings.&quot; </p><p>Celdran, whose <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/10/08/19/carlos-celdran-passes-away">death</a> was confirmed this Tuesday, was the focus of a short documentary &quot;Damaso&quot; --the title inspired by what he did in 2010 when he staged a protest against the Catholic Church and its stance against the then Reproductive Health Bill, now passed into law.</p><p>Wearing a black suit and holding a placard with &quot;Damaso&quot; written in bold letters --the name of the abusive priest in Jose Rizal&#x27;s &quot;Noli Me Tangere&quot;-- he walked inside the Manila Cathedral and told church leaders to not get involved in politics. </p><p>He talked about his stunt in the 7-minute documentary: how it helped propel the bill into &quot;national consciousness&quot;; its sentence of more than a year in prison; and why he decided to exile himself in Spain. </p><p>The film was directed by Alexandra Gordon, Katharine Lo Scalzo, and Sienna Hagedorn and was uploaded on YouTube last May. </p><p>Celdran died of natural causes, his family said. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/10/08/19/how-carlos-celdrans-love-affair-with-manila-came-about">READ: How Carlos Celdran’s love affair with Manila came about</a></li></ul>

<p>The 7-minute documentary is titled "Damaso," a name Celdran used to embody his stance against the Catholic Church and its position against the RH Bill.</p>

The 7-minute documentary is titled "Damaso," a name Celdran used to embody his stance against the Catholic Church and its position against the RH Bill.