Samidoun salutes Filipino leader, martyr Ka Oris

On October 29, Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, leader of the New People’s Army of the Philippines was killed together with his comrade Ka Pika, in a cowardly ambush by the reactionary forces of the Philippines state army. Ka Oris was on his way to a medical check-up when he and Ka Pika were gunned down before reaching the hospital. Ka Oris was loved by many people and comrades in the Philippines and internationally.

As Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, we express our deepest condolences to the family and comrades of Ka Oris and Ka Pika. We strongly condemn the killing of these internationalist comrades and we are outraged by the fact that the reactionary Philippines state military decided to cremate Ka Oris’ body without giving his family a chance to see his body and bury it themselves. These actions, to not only kill our comrades but also withhold their bodies from their family and loved ones, a practice that is also employed by the Zionist military, proves the savage and reactionary nature of our enemies.

Ka Oris was not simply a leader of the Filipino people’s struggle; he also was a true internationalist who was deepening the cooperation between the Filipino revolutionary struggle and the Palestinian liberation movement. He was a determined and yet humble comrade, always serving the needs of the people he dedicated his life to. It was our privilege to have known Ka Oris, and we will let his spirit live on through our actions and organizing for the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.

For Ka Oris, it was the youth who hold the true power to change the oppressive and exploitative system into a world of freedom, liberty, and equality. He said:

“To the youth of this generation, you have the advantage of knowing the world and our country. You are better exposed and more open to new ideas, energetic, receptive and sensitive to injustices, patriotic and ready to rise up to the need for revolutionary change not only for yourselves, for your country, but for the peoples of the world.

This is why Duterterrorist and his mafia – those who discourage you from ‘being involved’, those who say ‘activism is passe’, those who claim that ‘the revolution is a lost cause’, those who scare you that you might fall prey to ‘terrorist brainwashing and recruitment’ – are so afraid of you.

The reactionaries are aware that you are at an age when you are called upon to make a lifetime decision that can change not only your future but theirs as well. They fear that you would choose to follow the path that had toppled tyrants and emancipated slaves.

They are afraid of you, the Filipino youth.”

As Samidoun, we are a proud member of the Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle, the Friends of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and we will keep struggling for the unity of the international people’s movements for liberation and justice. We will remember Ka Oris as a hero of the people, and we will share his memory with our comrades all over the world. Martyrs never die; they live on through the very people they fought alongside with.

Samidoun members at the Masar Badil (Alternative Palestinian Revolutionary Path) conference in Madrid salute Ka Oris: