Manila: Jose Maria Sison, leader of the Philippine Communist Party, died at the age of 83 on Friday evening after being hospitalized for two weeks in the Netherlands.
In one of the longest-running rebellions in history, Sison founded the Philippine Communist Party, whose military wing, the New People's Army (NPA), engaged in armed resistance. Fighting between the NPA and the Philippine government has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 people.
The party said in a statement posted on its website that the proletariat and working people of the Philippines mourn the loss of their mentor and compass.
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The self-exiled communist leader has been living in Europe since the late 1980s, after being released from prison following the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose namesake son was elected president in May's election this year. Sison has been banned from traveling since being added to the US terrorist list in 2002.
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According to the party, Sison passed away peacefully at around 8:40 pm on Friday night. followed by imprisonment in a hospital in Utrecht. It did not say why Sison was imprisoned.
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Even though we are in mourning, the party "continues to give its full strength and determination to advance the revolution guided by the memory and teachings of Joma, the beloved of the people." Sison had another name, Joma, and the word "ka" means "comrade".
When Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016, he made it a priority to end the conflict, but abandoned peace efforts, angered by frequent rebel attacks during talks. The NPA once had 25,000 armed fighters, but now has only about 2,000, according to the military.