• Over 40,000 individuals have died in the battle.
• Sison was prohibited from travelling after being added to a US terrorism list.
• Jose Maria Sison wad admitted to Dutch hospital for two weeks.

Jose Maria Sison, the leader of the Philippine Communist Organization, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 83 after spending two weeks in a Dutch hospital, according to his party.

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 posted a statement on its website saying, “The Filipino proletariat and toiling people grieve the death of their teacher and guiding light.”

Following his release from prison following the overthrow of dictator 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.

Sison was prohibited from travelling after being added to a US terrorism list in 2002.

The party reported that Sison passed away peacefully on Friday night at about 8:40 p.m. local time after being kept in an 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.”

Sison had another name, Joma, and the word “Ka” meant “comrade.”

When he became power in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte prioritised resolving the conflict, but he abandoned peace efforts out of rage over frequent rebel strikes during the negotiations.

The NPA had had 25,000 armed fighters, but now only has roughly 2,000, according to the military.

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