CPP stalwart Luis Jalandoni, 90
Luis Jalandoni. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
OZAMIZ CITY — The communist movement in the country has lost one of the pillars of its long-drawn peace negotiations with the government. Luis “Ka Louie” Jalandoni has passed on. He was 90.
In a statement on Saturday, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced Jalandoni’s passing.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Ka Louie Jalandoni, beloved by the masses, a true internationalist, revolutionary leader and stalwart of peace. Ka Louie passed away peacefully at around 9:05 in the morning in Utrecht, the Netherlands (03:05 p.m. Philippine time) on June 7, 2025,” the CPP announcement read.
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“In his final moments, Ka Louie was surrounded by comrades, his wife Ka Coni, and his family. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines expresses its condolences to Ka Louie’s family, whose love, strength, and support accompanied him through decades of service to the Filipino people’s revolutionary cause,” the CPP added.
Jalandoni, a former Catholic priest, was born on Feb. 26, 1935, into a family of landlords and sugar barons in Negros. He left the priesthood for the national democratic revolution led by the CPP.
After years of work organizing support for the communist rebellion, Jalandoni was designated in 1977 as international representative of the National Democratic Front, the CPP’s political front, and later served as its chief peace negotiator starting in 1989.
As peace negotiator, Jalandoni “exemplified the revolutionary movement’s firm commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace – one that addresses the roots of armed conflict: landlessness, poverty, and foreign subjugation,” according to the CPP.
“We will forever cherish the immense contributions he made in advancing the people’s struggle for national and social liberation,” the CPP added./mr
