We pay the highest tribute to the great thinker, patriot and revolutionary leader Prof. Jose Ma. Sison who passed away last December 16 in The Netherlands. We express our solidarity and sincerest sympathies to his wife Julie Sison and his children.

Professor Sison’s brilliant and profound analysis of Philippine society has greatly helped the Philippine women’s movement remain firmly grounded on the realities being confronted by majority of the nation’s women – women peasants, workers and urban poor.

Being rooted among the most exploited and oppressed women in society has propelled GABRIELA into one of the strongest social movements today.

Prof. Sison’s lifetime’s dedication to the cause of democracy, social justice and national sovereignty – issues likewise fundamental to the cause of women’s emancipation – has inspired thousands of women activists in the country and abroad to fight determinedly for their rights and for the nation’s liberation, too.

Because of his work and unshakeable commitment, he became the target of the most severe political persecution by US imperialism and its puppet Philippine governments. His arrest and long imprisonment during the Marcos dictatorship failed to dim his political convictions, however and Prof. Sison continued his work until the current regime of the Marcos-Duterte tandem.

His witty but sharp tirades against macho-fascist Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Joseph Estrada durong their time has greatly aided the fight for the downfall and/or isolation of these anti-women regimes.

Professor Sison is an inextinguishable beacon of light for all peoples struggling against exploitation and oppression. His life and written legacies are invaluable instruments in the hands of struggling peoples.

That he and his family suffered as a result of his deep commitment to the cause of oppressed peoples is a fact that his fascist detractors gloss over. He was demonized to the core, deprived of his right to travel and work.

Indeed, Prof. Jose Ma. Sison is a giant oak, a towering figure of his generation. He will live forever in the hearts of the struggling masses. He will be honored and remembered with the highest praise and reverence.