Filipinos mourn priest-turned-peace negotiator
Luis Gamboa Jalandoni is seen in this file image. (Courtesy: liberation.ndfp.info)
MANILA: People in the Catholic-majority Philippines have paid tributes to Luis Gamboa Jalandoni, a former Catholic priest turned peace negotiator between the government and communist rebels, who passed away on June 7.
Jalandoni, former chairman of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), a peace negotiating body of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), died in Utrecht, the Netherlands, at the age of 90, his family members confirmed.
He had been living in the European country in self-imposed exile after the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte labelled him a terrorist in 2022 after the breakdown of peace talks between the government and communists.
'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,' the NDFP and CPP said in a joint statement on June 7.
Ka stands for 'elder brother' in Filipino.
The statement hailed Jalandoni as a person 'beloved by the masses, a true internationalist, revolutionary leader and stalwart of peace.'
Jalandoni was born in 1935 to a wealthy landowning family in Negros Occidental province. He joined priestly formation and was ordained a priest.
He served as the head of Social Action Committee of Diocese of Bacolod in Negros Occidental and in 1972, he established Christians for National Liberation, a faith-based underground revolutionary movement that supported the communist's armed struggle during the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
He was arrested in 1973 along with Catholic nun Coni Ledesma, also a member of the revolutionary group. Both were released in 1974 and sought the Vatican's dispensation to leave religious life.
They married the same year, and their marriage was solemnized by Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila, who is hailed for being a central figure in the 1986 People Power Revolution that toppled the iron-fisted Marcos regime.
Jalandoni joined NDFP, and in 1977, he became the group's international representative. From 1989 to 2016, he served as the chief peace negotiator on behalf of the communists.
The CPP has been infamously waging one of the world's longest insurgencies for nearly five decades, which claimed an estimated 40,000 lives in conflicts. Its armed wing, the National People's Army (NPA), is designated as a terrorist outfit by the Philippine government.
Jalandoni is credited with several landmark peace deals between the government and the communists over the years.
Progressive group, Bayan Muna, in its June 7 statement, said Jalandoni's death is 'a big loss to the quest for a just and lasting peace in our country.'
The group's vice president and former parliamentarian, Carlos Isagani Zarate, hailed him for 'decades-long dedication to the pursuit of just and lasting peace.'
'From a wealthy landowning family in Negros Occidental to a Catholic priest and eventually becoming a revolutionary – Ka Louie's journey reflects his genuine conversion to the cause of the poor and marginalized. He literally gave up his inheritance to landless workers and dedicated his life to their liberation,' Zarate said.
He continued to represent the NDFP for peace talks with the current government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr despite being in exile.
In a statement, Pilgrims for Peace, an interfaith alliance promoting peace and harmony, paid tributes to Jalandoni, calling him 'a gentle warrior for just peace in the Philippines.'
Among the alliance members are top Christian leaders including Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental.
The state's main anti-insurgency body, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, said Jalandoni's efforts earned him respect despite differences of opinion.
'Even as we hold firm to truth and accountability, we acknowledge this deep loss for those who shared their lives with Jalandoni,' Ernesto Torres Jr., the task force's executive director, said in a statement on June 9.--ucanews.com
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