“I will use this life to make my mark, together with other revolutionaries, in liberating the people from a rotten society. And should I die in the course of this fight, it is one death I know that is well worth bearing.” – Ka Joaquin Jacinto

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)-Mindanao, renders the highest tribute to Alvin Luque/Ka Joaquin Jacinto, a true revolutionary who served the masses and the revolution until his last breath. He will be remembered, especially by those who came to know him, as someone who chose to join the people’s war and serve the masses rather than be cowered into submission by brutal regimes.

We join his family, friends, comrades and revolutionaries in deep mourning of his passing.

His life illustrates that of an educated youth who had opportunities and chose to fight for human rights and justice, above ground. Yet he was attacked by state forces that pushed him to seek sanctuary with the New People’s Army (NPA). Inside the NPA area, he lived with the masses, learned more about the national democratic revolution and decided to fight alongside them to end feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism and US-Imperialism until his death.

The fascist Duterte regime and his AFP operatives, with impunity, summarily executed Ka Joaquin Jacinto in the first hour of December 10, 2020, the very day the world commemorated the 72nd United Nations International Declaration of Human Rights (UN-UDHR). They violated international laws of war and their very own Philippine Army Soldier’s Handbook on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law when they murdered Ka Joaquin and his companion. Ka Joaquin was hors de combat, unable to fight due to illness. He and his companion were summarily executed by mercenary AFP troops under the 401st Brigade who barged into their rented room and immediately sprayed them with bullets, killing them instantly. Ka Joaquin’s companion was a civilian, who helped him out of the goodness of his heart. In true mercenary fashion, the military then planted firearms, explosives and other materials to justify the claim they fought back. But the truth is clear: Duterte’s mercenary soldiers murdered Ka Joaquin in cold blood for the reward money of 6 million and for rank promotion.

Ka Joaquin could not have fought back. He was suffering from various ailments for some time and had to leave the mountains to seek medical treatment in the city. Aside from asthma and diabetes, he suffered a partial paralysis in May of this year and was unable to stand or walk by himself for months. Thus, the AFP’s claim that he engaged in a shootout let alone bring with him firearms, explosives and revolutionary materials while in the city, seeking treatment, is ridiculous.

Alvin Luque was born in April 24, 1974, the day the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) was established. He came from an upper-middle class family of Cotabato City and was very much loved by his parents and siblings. He went to private schools for his primary and secondary education, studied and finished Bachelor of Arts in English majoring in Literature at the Ateneo de Davao University. In was at the Ateneo de Davao that he became active in the student movement. After graduation, he taught English Literature at the Assumption College. There he joined and was chosen as the secretary general of the Assumption Employees Union. Later on Alvin became the BAYAN-Davao secretary general and was active in the protest movement in the city especially against Charter Change and the Erap Resign Movement.

In 2001 Alvin ran for councilor of Davao City under then returning mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He was unable to secure a seat by only a small margin. It was in Davao City that he first experienced red-tagging that threatened his life and liberty. During the electoral campaign Duterte further saw the widespread support for progressive partylists and Alvin Luque. After the elections, and under the corrupt and fascist Gloria Macapagal Arroyo regime, Duterte treacherously let loose Col. Eduardo del Rosario, then commanding officer of the 73rd IBPA, to launch attacks against progressives. Alvin and other activists were red-tagged and trumped-up cases were filed against them especially with the implementation of Macapagal-Arroyo’s Human Security Act (HSA). The Duterte controlled courts of Davao City then issued a warrant of arrest for Alvin.

It was at this time that the soft spoken, mild-mannered but fierce defender of human rights Alvin Luque was pushed into seeking sanctuary with the NPA in the Southern Mindanao Region. After a few months, he decided to stay in the mountains, be a full-time member of the NPA and became part of the region’s instructors’ bureau.

In the later part of 2009 he was deployed to the office of Ka Oris, NDF-Mindanao spokesperson, based in Northeast Mindanao Region (NEMR). It was in NEMR, during the 41st anniversary celebration of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in Marihatag, Surigao del Sur, that Alvin Luque faced the media as Ka Joaqui, and for the first time formally declared that he has joined the revolutionary movement. Many of the media people who were then present, he knew personally when he was still with Bayan and when he ran for Davao City councilor.

He spent the first years in the office of the NDFP-Mindanao spokesperson with Ka Oris in the guerilla zones of NEMR. His resolve was tested by the difficult terrain and constant mobility of guerilla life. Just a few days since his arrival, their group hiked for 13 days to evade the enemy, crisscrossing the Agusan and Surigao del Sur provinces. Food was limited, walking started early in the morning and ended just before dark, and the nights were very cold. He could still smile, but barely, and sometimes he would cry from exhaustion. Similar conditions would often happen, but slowly, painstakingly and resolutely, he learned to adapt and develop. He would sometimes marvel at his capacity to overcome the hardship of guerilla life. He would say that the most difficult adjustment for him was the very long hikes and the lack of food choices. He would be smiling in glee when comrades or the masses would obtain meat or fish. He would smile more when friends and family from the cities send him the food he missed, like brownies, cookies and cakes. He had a sweet tooth.

Ka Joaquin was a prolific writer and a very good public speaker making him fit for the task given him as staff of the NDF-Mindanao spokesperson. He was in his element hosting large CPP-NPA-NDFP gatherings, during releases of prisoners of war, talking with the media and the many visitors of the NPA. Foreign journalists were surprised at his eloquence of the English language – spoken with a British accent. He was also a voracious reader, newspapers and magazines reaching the guerilla camp would always end up stacked in his post.

In 2017, Ka Joaqui became Ka Joaquin Jacinto, NDFP-Mindanao spokesperson. His health condition, however, got worse as years passed. He lost weight and walking for days on end was a struggle for him. Often he would need to be assisted or carried by comrades in difficult terrains. All these made it hard for him to continue performing his tasks as spokesperson, as being one would entail regular hikes far from the main camp. And so in 2019, after the 50th founding anniversary of the NPA, he had to give up being the NDFP-Mindanao spokesperson.

He remained in NEMR and became part of its Instructors’ Bureau (IB). It was when he was in the IB that Ka Joaqui thrived. He again became a teacher, a profession he loved. Ka Joaqui will be remembered best by Red fighters for his ability to explain clearly the topics in the many Party Courses he taught. He was very effective in teaching comrades, many who reached only elementary school, to understand the theories of Marxism, Leninism and Maoism. Comrades from the educated youth and middle class were in awe, some call him “professor.” During the times when circumstance allowed comrades to watch movies, Ka Joaqui would translate the dialogue of the characters or narrator as the movie run, a feat that never fail to amaze anyone listening to him.

He constantly battled liberalism. It was difficult for him to criticize comrades and accept his own weaknesses. Typical of his petty bourgeois upbringing, he was very sensitive and did not like to hurt the feelings of comrades. He was at times, afraid to give suggestions to better implement tasks for fear his ideas were wrong.

Alvin Luque will be remembered as Ka Joaquin Jacinto, martyr of the national democratic revolution, unshakeable monument of the people’s war. He wholeheartedly and firmly served the masses and the revolution. He is an inspiration for the educated youth and the middle class under the fascist US-Duterte regime to wage and bring to victory the national democratic revolution by joining the New People’s Army.

To the murderers of Ka Joaquin and their officials, and to all the murderers of civilians and human rights defenders, time, no matter how long, will come for justice to be served.

Long live Ka Joaquin Jacinto! Onward with the revolution!