The Communist Party of the Philippines has reported that Jose Maria Sison, who started one of the longest-running Maoist insurgencies in history, passed away at the age of 83 following a two-week hospitalisation in the Netherlands.
The New People’s Army (NPA), the military component of the Philippine Communist Party founded by Sison, has been engaged in one of the longest-running insurgencies in history.
Over 40,000 individuals have died in the battle between the NPA and the Philippine government.
The party released a statement on Saturday saying, “The Filipino proletariat and toiling people grieve the death of their teacher and guiding light.”
After being freed from prison following the overthrow of former president Ferdinand Marcos, whose namesake son was elected president in a May election this year, the self-exiled communist leader has resided in Europe since the late 1980s.
In 2002, Sison was also added to a US terrorist list, which made it impossible for him to travel.
The party reported that Sison passed away peacefully on Friday at around 8:40 p.m. (1240 GMT) after being restrained in the Utrecht hospital. It did not state why Sison was imprisoned.
The party reported that Sison passed away peacefully on Friday at around 8:40 p.m. (1240 GMT) after being restrained in the Utrecht hospital. It did not state why Sison was imprisoned.
Even though we are in mourning, the party vowed to “continue to give all of our power and determination to push the revolution forward guided by the memories and teachings of the people’s beloved Ka Joma.”
Joma was another name for Sison. “Ka” denotes a comrade.
The Philippines’ defence ministry referred to Sison as the “biggest stumbling block” to peace and claimed that his death might ultimately bring an end to violence in the nation.
It stated that Sison’s passing “is merely a symbol of the disintegrating hierarchy” within the communist cause and urged any remaining dissidents to submit.
When he assumed office in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte prioritised ending the fight with the NPA, but he abandoned peace attempts out of rage after repeated guerrilla attacks during the negotiations.
The NPA had had 25,000 armed fighters, but now only has roughly 2,000, according to the military.