Former NDFP chair Luis Jalandoni; 90

Luis Jalandoni —Jim Guiao Punzalan

MANILA, Philippines — Luis “Louie” Jalandoni, former chair of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), has died, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced on Saturday. He was 90 years old.

“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,” the CPP said in a statement.

Jalandoni “passed away peacefully” on June 7 at 9:05 a.m. (3:05 p.m. in Manila) in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

“In his final moments, Ka Louie was surrounded by comrades, his wife Ka Coni, and his family,” the statement read.

“We express our condolences to Ka Louie’s family, whose love, strength, and support accompanied him through decades of service to the Filipino people’s revolutionary cause,” it added.

READ: CPP denounces ATC’s terrorist tag of NDFP’s Luis Jalandoni, 5 others

Former priest

Jalandoni was born on Feb. 16, 1935, to a landed family in Silay, Negros Occidental. He was reported to have donated farmlands he inherited from his family in the 1960s to landless workers.

He became a Roman Catholic priest in Negros and cofounded the Christians for National Liberation in 1972. The underground revolutionary organization sought to unite Church members in advancing progressive causes.

In 1973, authorities arrested him together with Coni Ledesma, a former nun and school principal, who would become his wife. He formally left the priesthood in 1974 and married Ledesma later that year.

Jalandoni is survived also by his only son, Jose Edmundo, and two grandchildren.

An Inquirer article in September 2011 described his life in exile as having “one foot always rooted in the Philippines.”

He organized small solidarity actions in Utrecht to coincide with major protest actions in the Philippines and even welcomed into his modest home visiting Philippine officials and representatives of international organizations.

Peace negotiations

Jalandoni was NDFP chair from 1989 to 2016. The communist movement credits him for his crucial role in leading peace negotiations with the government until 2016.

His top comrade in the communist movement, CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison, died at age 83 also in exile in Utrecht on Dec. 16, 2022.

On Duterte terror list

In October 2016, Jalandoni made a projection that “The Left will be a reliable ally to the Duterte administration in fighting against US imperialist threats and other antipeople forces.”

But in June 2022, at the tail end of the Duterte administration, he was included by the Anti-Terrorism Council on its list of terrorists together with other members of the CPP, New People’s Army and NDFP. /cb