Ka Louie, in his life and journey, broke many rules of class society and the roles it imposed on its class members.
He broke away from all the status and privileges of his class and did this to work in the service and defense of the Filipino people. This very strong and unwavering commitment to serve was clear throughout his life and his work and in his dedication to the Party and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
From being a priest from a family of landlords and sugar barons, he became an activist priest in his work with peasants, the sacada, and workers. In 1972, Ka Louie went underground when martial law was declared, like many activists, to continue his political work. In that year, he helped found the Christians for National Liberation (CNL), the underground organization of Christians and people of faith for the national democratic revolution. Ka Louie was once quoted as saying that “serving the people through the revolution is deepening the practice of Christianity.“
Ka Louie was arrested and became a political prisoner in 1973, released in 1974, and continued on with his work. In 1975, he helped organize the workers’ strike at the La Tondena Distillery, the first strike that openly challenged the iron fist of martial law and started the strikes, mass actions and demonstrations around the country.
In 1976, Ka Louie accepted the task to lead the international relations work for the Party overseas and became the International representative of the NDFP. In 1980, with the NDFP, the first Permanent People’s Tribunal for the Philippines in Belgium was held and exposed the brutality of the Marcos dictatorship in the international arena. It later served as the guide to international people’s tribunals for post-Marcos,Sr. governments.
His proto-diplomatic work around the world ensured that the NDFP was internationally recognized and accepted as the revolutionary front organization of the Filipino people fighting for national freedom and their rights. Ka Louie was chief negotiator for the NDFP in the many peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) from 1989 to 2016. Ka Louie, described oftentimes as a “peace warrior”, always placed the interests of the Filipino people in the peace negotiations, firm in the commitment to building a just and lasting peace in the Philippines. Ka Louie played major roles in the forging of Agreements as a peace negotiator, the last one being the Final Draft of the Comprehensive Agreement on Socioeconomic Reforms (CASER). The rights of Filipinos as workers and migrants in the host country are spelled out very clearly in the CASER.
Priest. Activist. Organizer. Ex- Detainee. Refugee and Migrant. Peace Negotiator. NDFP Ambassador. Loving Husband, Father and Grandfather. Communist and Revolutionary.
Ka Louie’s death casts a pall of sadness over Utrecht, over many places in cities and countrysides in the home front, and over many cities abroad where Ka Louie is remembered. His life and death teach us the many lessons of selflessness, the happiness of not only doing tasks and taking on tasks, but also of doing them well. Every task, every step, every day in the struggle brings us one step, one day nearer to national liberation.
Ka Louie’s many decades of work reminds us all of the nature of our protracted struggle and the justness of people’s war as the primary form of resistance by a people oppressed, exploited, and deprived of freedom. While there are many of us who may not see victory in our lifetimes, know that Ka Louie and countless martyrs and comrades worked tirelessly and selflessly to make sure that victory is ours for the taking.
Our deepest condolences to Ka Coni, family, and comrades in Utrecht.
Long live the memory of Ka Louie Jalandoni!
Continue his great revolutionary legacy!
Canada | June 10, 2025