Luis Jaladoni and Coni Ledesma

Luis Jalandoni is the International Representative of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF, www.ndfp.net), a post that he has held since 1977, and since 1994 he has been the Chairperson of the NDF’s Negotiating Panel for peace talks with the Government of the Philippines. The NDF is the coalition of several underground groups, including the Communist Party of the Philippines and its New People’s Army, which has been waging a war of liberation throughout the Philippines for more than 40 years, making it one of the longest running armed struggles in the world.

The country desperately needs peace with justice and security, so resolving this people’s war is central to that. Luis will be accompanied by his wife Coni Ledesma, who will also be speaking. She is a member of the NDF Negotiating Panel for peace talks; and is the International Spokesperson of MAKIBAKA, a revolutionary women’s group which belongs to the NDF. Luis and Coni are both veteran leading figures in the Philippine revolutionary Left. He was a Catholic priest in the 1960s and she was a nun.  Both were founders of Christians for National Liberation, a member group of the NDF.

When Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, both went underground. They were both arrested and spent time as political prisoners. They left the clergy, and got married in 1974. They have lived in The Netherlands since 1976; they were the first Filipinos to apply for and receive political asylum there. They hold Dutch passports and travel extensively as NDF representatives.

ITINERARY

Tuesday October 26 – Christchurch: Public Meeting – 7.30p.m. Knox Presbyterian Church Lounge, 28 Bealey Avenue. Contact: Murray Horton,0274 307742 cafca@chch.planet.org.nz

Wednesday October 27 – Blenheim: Public Meeting, 7.30pm,Nativity Centre Lounge, cnr Alfred and Henry Sts. Contact: Steffan Browning,021 725655 greeny25@xtra.co.nz

Thursday October 28 & Friday 29 – Wellington: PublicMeeting – 7.30 p.m. Thursday 28, St John’s Hall, corner Willis& Dixon Streets. Contact: Rod Prosser 021 0744992 communitymedia@paradise.net.nz

Monday November 1 – Palmerston North: Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m., Catholic Diocesan Centre (Te Rau Aroha), 33 Amesbury Street Contact: Dion Martin(06) 3569658 (w), 021 776029 Dion.Martin@ndu.org.nz

Tuesday November 2 & Wednesday 3 – New Plymouth: Public Meeting – 6p.m. Wednesday 3rd, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, 42Queen Street. Contact: Fiona Clark (06) 7547014; fionaclark@clear.net.nz

Thursday November 4 – Hamilton: Public Meeting –7.30 p.m., Waikato Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street. Contact: BobAnderson, (07) 8297882, 021 776023; ban@xtra.co.nz

Friday November 5 – Whangarei: Public Meeting Manaia PHO Rooms, Rust Ave,central Whangarei. Contact: Tim Howard 027 3089216 the-farm@ihug.co.nz

Tuesday 9 November – Auckland: Public Meeting, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, 7pm

Wednesday 10 November – Auckland: Women’s Forum with Connie Ledesma, Auckland University, Maori Studies 9am – 12pm (RSVP to Maori Studies)

Friday 12 November – Auckland: 7 p.m. Solidarity Dinner for Justice and Peace in the Philippines, Civic Building, Strata 17, Civic Building, Mayoral Drive: Tickets $30 (Dinner, entertainment cash bar).
Contact: Luke Coxon (09) 8276059, 028 25803203 luke_coxon@yahoo.com

The strike began in 2002 around the workers’ right to negotiate their retirement benefits.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that the company must return to the negotiating table, but the company has ignored the ruling and continued the harrassment and repression of the striking workers.

There have been 23 unionists killed , including union leader Diosdado “Ka Fort” Fortuna. Ka Fort was assassinated on his way home from a picket line on September 22, 2005.

This is not the first killing of a high profile union leader. Ka Fort’s predecessor, Meliton Roxas, was assassinated in front of the picket line during a strike in 1989. No one has been charged for any of the murders.

The CPP has led the struggle against feudalism, capitalism and imperialism in the Philippines for four decades. Having withstood the Marcos dictatorship through to the current brutal regime of Arroyo, the CPP has been sustained through its deep roots among the masses. When many other communist parties around the world collapsed in the 1990s, the CPP carried on the struggle, constantly reassessing itself and further developing its strengths.

 The CPP’s commitment to internationalism has given confidence to many organisations and individuals in the struggle for world revolution.

 We hope that 2009 will bring much success to the comrades in the Philippines.

 In solidarity
Workers Party of New Zealand

Download the MP3
here.

He was arrested and imprisoned in 1982 during the Marcos dictatorship but managed to escape in 1984. In 1987, after the dictatorship was ousted, Ka Bel became leader of the KMU and remained in that position until 2003.

In 2001 he was elected to Congress and served three terms representing the most exploited Filipinos. He made good use of the parliamentary platform, filing 130 bills and resolutions – a record number for the House of Representatives.

He was also chairman of the International League of Peoples Struggles – which was comprised of over 200 anti-imperialist organisations.

Ka Bel was arrested in February 2006 and illegally detained for 18 months by the Arroyo regime. His release followed an international campaign to free him, including high profile protests in New Zealand last year during Arroyo’s visit to this country.

The Workers Party of New Zealand extends condolences to Ka Bel’s comrades and family on the loss of this tenacious leader. We are comforted knowing that his fighting spirit lives on in the mass movement in the Philippines today.