It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1, NEV
The Christians for National Liberation (CNL) joins the Filipino people and the international revolutionary movement in mourning the passing of a great revolutionary leader and comrade, Ka Louie G. Jalandoni. With the deepest respect and highest revolutionary honors, we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family, especially to his wife, companion in faith and struggle, Coni Ledesma. We grieve with all comrades around the world who have lost a steadfast and principled leader in Ka Louie, even so, we draw strength and inspiration from the life he lived in service of the people’s revolution and liberation.
Having joined the Creator during the week of Pentecost, we believe Ka Louie now lives on in the hearts of the people. His unwavering passion for justice continues to ignite our spirits as we take up the monumental task of deepening our commitment to serve the masses and advance the people’s revolution. Across languages and cultures, we strive to unite with the exploited class and carry forward the people’s war in the countryside.
Ka Louie was a founding figure of the CNL. Born into a wealthy and landed family in Silay, Negros Occidental, he chose to walk a radically different path. As a Catholic priest, he saw the severe and grinding poverty and exploitation of sugar workers (sakadas) in Negros—victims of a system controlled by the few elite His response was not only pastoral but prophetic. In a profound act of brilliant enlightenment, and perhaps even a betrayal of his class birth, Ka Louie donated his inherited farmland to landless farmers as early as the 1960s.
Through his priestly vocation, he became deeply aware of the systemic violence that Church people and communities also endured—massacres, extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests, especially under the Marcos Sr dictatorship. These experiences fueled his commitment to a faith that sides with the oppressed.
Together with his wife and comrade Coni Ledesma, Ka Louie helped found the Christians for National Liberation (CNL) in 1972—mobilizing Christians and people of faith into the heart of the national democratic revolution. Even while facing persecution, Ka Louie exemplified a “faith in action”—a belief in the God of life who walks with the people, who liberates the oppressed, and who dismantles unjust systems. His call to organize the faithful helped awaken and mobilize countless Christians to stand with the marginalized, to struggle for genuine people’s sovereignty, and even to participate in armed resistance. The CNL, through his example, became instrumental in raising the political consciousness of Church people during the dark years of dictatorship.
Ka Louie later assumed a leading role in the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), serving in its peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). Despite the historic importance of his work for peace, the Duterte administration unjustly listed Ka Louie and others involved in peace efforts as “terrorists”—a grave insult to a lifetime of dedication to justice, and in waging the people’s war.
His revolutionary faith and commitment to the people remain an enduring contribution to the struggle for just and lasting peace. Ka Louie believed that abundant life meant the liberation of the poor, and he worked tirelessly toward it until his last breath. His life testifies to a truth we continue to proclaim: Genuine liberation comes through the collective struggle of the people—especially the anawim, the poor and oppressed, toward systemic change and revolutionary transformation.
His life was a testament to unwavering commitment to justice and lasting peace—a life fully dedicated to the mission of liberation. In Ka Louie, we witnessed what it means to live a Spirit-filled life: active in proclaiming good news to the poor, for the release of the captives, and freeing the oppressed. For the Church to truly fulfill its ministry, it must become the Church for the people—actively participating in the struggle to dismantle oppressive powers, where churches recognize and embrace the justness of the armed resistance as a necessary tool for the revolution towards a just and democratic society.
As CNL, we carry this mission forward with conviction, organizing our ranks to advance the people’s revolution. In doing so, we give what is rightfully for the people, embodying the life and ministry of Christ in our collective struggle towards liberation.
Pinakamataas na pagpupugay sa buhay at alaala ni Ka Louie Jalandoni!
Mabuhay ang rebolusyon at ang sambayanan!
