Former NDF chairman Luis Jalandoni, 90

Luis Jalandoni, former chairman of the National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines, died in Utrecht, the Netherlands on Saturday.

- By JANVIC MATEO

He was 90 years old.

His death was confirmed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Known as "Ka Louie" to comrades, family and friends, Jalandoni passed away peacefully at around 9:05 a.m. in Utrecht (3:05 p.m. in the Philippines), the party said.

"In his final moments, Ka Louie was surrounded by comrades, his wife Ka Coni, and his family," it added.

A close associate of the late communist leader Jose Maria Sison, Jalandoni served as NDF's chief negotiator with the Philippine government from 1989 to 2016.

Born in Negros on Feb. 26, 1935, Jalandoni was a former Catholic priest who played a key role in the founding of the Christians for National Liberation, one of the founding allied organizations of the NDF.