The legacy of Jose Maria Sison, founder of Asia's longest-running communist insurgency

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Jose Maria Sison spent decades in self-imposed exile, directing a Philippine revolution from the Netherlands. As the architect of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army, he remained a polarizing figure until his death at 83, leaving behind a complex, violent, and enduring history.

Born in 1939 to a prominent landowning family, Sison transitioned from a university professor to a revolutionary leader. In 1968, he established the Communist Party of the Philippines, followed shortly by the New People's Army in 1969. While the insurgency began with a modest force of roughly 60 fighters equipped with limited weaponry, it gradually expanded across the nation. At its peak, the movement commanded approximately 25,000 members, though internal purges in the 1990s and various military setbacks eventually reduced these numbers.

Sison’s influence was profound yet deeply contested. As the chief political consultant for the National Democratic Front, he navigated decades of intermittent peace negotiations with the Philippine government. However, his tenure was marked by accusations of grave human rights abuses. The Department of National Defense has linked him to the deaths of thousands, including an alleged 1985 massacre in Inopacan, Leyte. Sison consistently denied these claims, asserting that he was imprisoned at the time of the killings and dismissing the evidence as a fabrication by state authorities.

Following his release from detention in 1986 by President Corazon Aquino, Sison moved to the Netherlands, where he lived until his death in December 2022. Despite his exile, he remained a central, if controversial, figure in Philippine security. While the United States and the Philippines officially designate his organizations as terrorist entities, his supporters continue to revere him as a guiding light. His passing marks the end of an era for the movement, leaving the future of the insurgency uncertain as the government maintains its stance against the group.

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