Jalandoni, who was in self-exile in the Netherlands, served as senior adviser to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and was instrumental in several peace talks.

MANILA, Philippines – Exiled senior adviser to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Luis “Louie” Jalandoni has passed away, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced on Saturday, June 7. 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. Ka Louie passed away peacefully at around 9:05 in the morning in Utrecht, the Netherlands (3:05 pm Philippine time) on June 7, 2025,” the CPP said.

Jalandoni is the latest CPP-NDFP leader to have passed on after the deaths of NDFP peace negotiating panel chairman Fidel Agcaoili in 2020 and CPP founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison in December 2020.

“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.

Like other NDFP and CPP advisers and leaders, Jalandoni has been in self-exile in Utrecht, the Netherlands, for years.

Apart from serving as a senior adviser of the NDFP, the late leader was instrumental in many peace negotiations between the left and the Philippine government.

Jalandoni faced a local warrant in the Philippines over an old murder case stemming from the communist movement purge. The case — which included the late CPP founder Sison — was revived in 2019 when then-president Rodrigo Duterte ended the government’s peace talks with communist rebel groups.

Still under Duterte, in 2022, Jalandoni and five other people tagged as alleged members of the CPP-New People’s Army were designated by the Philippine anti-terror council (ATC) as terrorists.

The ATC’s designation powers was among the contentions in the draconian anti-terror law because the body can arbitrarily designate people and groups as terrorists based on their own determination.

From priest to progressive leader

A native of Negros Island, Jalandoni was born on February 26, 1935, to a family of landlords and sugar barons in the Visayas, according to the CPP. His political consciousness was developed by mingling with sugar workers in his home region.

Before becoming part of the CPP and NDFP, he was a Catholic priest who took part in the Church in the Barrios program that helped rural communities.

According to the CPP, “Ka Louie” played an important role in the founding of the Christians for National Liberation (CNL), a group of religious workers that fought against the dictatorship of late tyrant Ferdinand E. Marcos.

In 1972, Jalandoni joined the CPP, and the CNL later became part of the allied organizations of the NDFP in 1973. He went underground to fight the Marcos tyranny when the late dictator announced his Martial Law.

Jalandoni and his wife were arrested and detained at Fort Bonifacio in 1973.

“There, Ka Louie was kept for almost a year in a dark, windowless cell with six or seven others. A wave of protests and campaign efforts by religious and international human rights groups forced the Marcos regime to release them in July 1974,” the CPP said.

Years after their release from detention, the couple went overseas to do international relations work for the CPP and expose Marcos’ tyrannical rule. In 1976, the couple became the first Filipinos to be granted political asylum in the Netherlands due to threats against them back in the Philippines.

In 1977, Jalandoni became the international representative of the NDFP.

He was also the chief negotiator of the NDFP during the left’s peace talks with the Philippine government in 1989. Jalandoni was also the chief negotiator during the botched peace talks with the Duterte administration.

“We will forever cherish the immense contributions he made in advancing the people’s struggle for national and social liberation,” the CPP said.

“As we mourn his passing, we firmly vow to carry forward his legacy of selfless service, boundless humility, revolutionary integrity, and commitment to waging the people’s democratic revolution until final victory is won,” it added.

Source: Rappler.