Left-wing Philippine leader, peace negotiator Ka Louie Jalandoni passes away at 90

By Harsh Thakor*  

Ka Louie Jalandoni, a long-time leader of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), passed away on June 7 at the age of 90. He played a prominent role in the country’s leftist revolutionary movement and was the NDFP’s chief international representative and chief peace negotiator for several decades.

Born on February 26, 1935, into a landowning family in Negros Island, Jalandoni initially served as a Catholic priest. His early work included engagement with rural communities through the Church’s outreach programs. Over time, his involvement with labor and community organizing led him to adopt a political stance aligned with the underground revolutionary movement.

In 1972, Jalandoni co-founded Christians for National Liberation (CNL), an organization that brought together progressive religious workers and later became part of the NDFP. A month later, he joined the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Following the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos, he went underground. He and his wife, Coni Ledesma, were arrested in 1973 and detained at Fort Bonifacio, where he spent nearly a year in a windowless cell. They were released in 1974 following pressure from human rights and religious groups.

After his release, Jalandoni resumed political work. In 1975, he was involved in the La Tondena workers’ strike in Manila, which was one of the first major labor actions under martial law. In 1976, he left the country to conduct international work for the CPP and to bring attention to alleged abuses by the Marcos regime. He and Ledesma were later granted political asylum in the Netherlands.

In 1977, Jalandoni became the NDFP’s international representative, helping to establish the group’s international office in Utrecht. He played a role in organizing the 1980 session of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on the Philippines, which accused the Marcos government of serious human rights violations.

In 1989, he was appointed as the NDFP’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. He represented the NDFP in numerous rounds of negotiations over the years, advocating for structural reforms and addressing the roots of armed conflict, including land rights and economic inequality.

The Communist Party of the Philippines described him as a central figure in the revolutionary movement. He died in the Netherlands, where he had lived in exile for many years, surrounded by family and comrades.

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*Freelance journalist