By Jose Maria Sison

Founding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines and

Chief Political Consultant, National Democratic Front of the Philippines

As Founding Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines and Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, I honor Comrade Julius Soriano Giron with the Red salute and express the highest respect and commendation for his martyrdom and for his long record as a communist leader and revolutionary fighter in the Filipino people’s struggle for national liberation and democracy.

I convey sincerest condolences to his family and to all his comrades, relatives and friends. I share with them profound grief over his demise and at the same the pride and joy for his lifelong and fruitful service to the people in their noble cause and struggle for national and social liberation from foreign monopoly capitalism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.

Comrade Julius served the people in the best way that he could and in the most exemplary way, died as a martyr and will therefore live forever in the hearts and minds of the people and in the continuance of the people’s democratic revolution with a socialist perspective. His murder in the hands of the armed minions of the traitorous, tyrannical, genocidal, corrupt and mendacious Duterte regime outrages the people and incites them to intensify their revolutionary struggle.

When the fascists butchers came to murder him, he was sleeping in the house where he was under treatment for his illness resulting from his advanced age and hard work. It is not true that he was able to fight back, contrary to claims of the reactionary government and military. He was murdered together with his medical doctor, Dr. Maria Lourdes Tangco, and an aide who, like him, were awakened only by the ramming down of the door and the barrage of fire from the murderers.

These murders are in clear violation of the International Humanitarian Law (Geneva Conventions) and the GRP-NDFP Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and also in particular the GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees inasmuch as Comrade Julius was a political consultant of the NDFP in GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. It is appropriate and necessary for human right organizations, peace advocates and health workers to pay attention to the aforesaid murders and give due respect and honors to the victims of the brutal regime.

Like me, as a child and in his grade school years, Comrade Julius had religious tutelage from his mother and served as a sacristan to the Catholic priests. In high school, he was a bright and sociable person, with plenty of friends. He was charismatic because he was intelligent and had a talent for singing and dancing. He also excelled at numbers and hoped to become an engineer. He enrolled in the course of Engineering in the University of the Philippines in Baguio but was able to finish only the first two years because of his heavy responsibilities as a leading activist.

He joined the Kabataang Makabayan in 1970 and was therefore a product of the First Quarter Storm of 1970. He led the KM in Baguio City. During FQS, he often delighted and inspired the mass protests by reciting Amado Hernandez’s “Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo, Aking Bayan” to the music of “Ang Gabing Mapanglaw”. He helped build the Samahan ng mga Anak Pawis (SaAnPa) in Baguio City in 1970. He became an outstanding activist of the national democratic movement as he engaged in organizing workers in the transport, energy, and mining sectors.

He became a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1971 and assumed major responsibilities. He served with the Trade Union Bureau and participated in the organization of the Northern Luzon Regional Party organization. He was designated a staff member of the Instructor’s Bureau of the CPP under the Education Department. He served as team leader of an armed propaganda unit in Ifugao. He went to Isabela to instruct Political Officers of the New People’s Army for regional and national deployment.

When he was illegally arrested without warrant during the early part of the Marcos martial law period, he was physically and mentally tortured, administered electric-shock and truth serum. He withstood and overcame the torture because of his firm commitment to the revolutionary movement of the people and profound love for the people. Subsequently, he was able to escape from detention.

He immediately rejoined the revolutionary movement with increased fervor to fight the oppressive and exploitative semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system and the Marcos fascist dictatorship. Since then, he assumed higher responsibilities in the CPP. NPA and the National Democratic Front. Other comrades at the level of the Central Committee of the CPP can best present his responsibilities and accomplishments as a communist cadre and revolutionary fighter since the 1970s.

I issue this tribute to Comrade Julius as an immediate declaration to honor him in connection with his impending burial. We can expect a more authoritative and informative declaration of the CC of the CPP. I have based my declaration on the basis of information that I have gathered immediately from mutual friends and his relatives who are accessible.

I am confident that when a more comprehensive declaration is issued by the appropriate authority of the CPP the greatness of Comrade Julius as a revolutionary patriot and communist fighter will be amplified and will shine even brighter to inspire the current generation of the revolutionary cadres and masses and future generations to achieve the total victory of the people’s democratic revolution and proceed to the socialist revolution.###