The Central Committee and the entire Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) grieve the passing away of Comrade Jose Maria Sison (Amado Guerrero), its founding chairman. Ka Joma died peacefully after a period of confinement in a hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands last night at around 8:40 p.m. (Philippine time). He was 83.
With Ka Joma’s passing, the Party lost a great leader. Indeed, he is among the greatest of Filipinos of the past century for masterfully and creatively applying Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to the Philippines and the Philippine revolution, and giving the Filipino people the strength to carve the country’s future and attain their aspirations for national freedom and democracy.
The Central Committee and the entire Party will forever be guided and inspired by Ka Joma’s immortal revolutionary spirit. Let us forever keep red his memory and legacy and strengthen our determination to continue and bring forward the revolution that he ignited together with other great leaders of the Central Committee and its Political Bureau and Executive Committee.
Through his writings, Ka Joma laid out the theoretical foundation of the Philippine revolution. He also left us with a rich and deep Marxist-Leninist-Maoist treasure trove which will serve as guide for the Party’s continued growth in the next stage of the Filipino people’s revolutionary struggles.
We affirm as well the important role that Ka Joma played as a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist torch bearer who helped inspire the proletariat across the world, and keep the embers of the international communist movement as it enters a new phase of resurgence.
In 2016, the Second Congress of the Communist Party of the Philippines issued a comprehensive statement giving Ka Joma the Party’s highest tribute and tracing his contributions to the growth of the Philippine revolution.
We declare the following ten days as a period of mourning for the entire Party in order to give the highest possible tribute to Ka Joma. Let us dedicate our the Party’s upcoming 54th anniversary to Ka Joma’s memory, to celebrate his life and all the victories that we have achieved under his leadership and guidance.
We order all units of the New People’s Army (NPA) to stand in formation at the break of dawn of December 26 and silently perform a 21-gun salute by way of giving the highest tribute and bidding farewell to our beloved leader. During this period of mourning, the NPA can stage tactical offensives against the rampaging fascist forces to defend the people.
The Party and all revolutionary forces await the homecoming of Ka Joma’s remains or ashes, a wish he had expressed in the past. This will give the broad masses of workers and peasants the opportunity to pay their last respects, and give honor to the revolutionary leader who dedicated his entire life to the cause of liberation.
Today we declare Ka Joma as the greatest hero of the Filipino people in their past century of resistance against imperialism. His immense contributions to shaping the patriotic and revolutionary consciousness of the Filipino people and breaking open the path towards national and social liberation, will never be erased.