On the occasion of the Week of Remembrance of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), let us remember the heroic life and martyrdom of Ka Lalay (Aprecia Alvarez Rosete). Ka Lalay was a beloved fighter of the peasant masses and Lumad people across Mindanao, indefatigable revolutionary leader and cadre of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The Party and the entire revolutionary movement gives the highest tribute to Ka Lalay, who dedicated her life to the Filipino people’s cause for national and social liberation. We extend our deepest sympathies to her beloved children and family.

Ka Lalay, born on December 2, 1968, hails from the poor peasant masses of Manobo Lumad in Loreto, Agusan del Sur. At an early age, she escaped the traditional feudal and patriarchal structures which restricted the growth of women like her. She worked various jobs to support her studies through elementary and high school. She volunteered in social services and actively helped her fellow poor Lumad in literacy and health trainings. She secured a scholarship and enrolled at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, taking a course on social work.

She soon became increasingly involved in social issues as she gained a deeper knowledge of the suffering and oppression of people like herself—Lumads, peasants, workers and other toiling people. She would be known by the masses as Ka Angel, Ka Bambam and other names. Despite opportunities to make a better life for herself, Ka Lalay chose a life of serving others by organizing and helping empower them. She joined the Party in 1990.

She later joined the revolutionary armed struggle in Mindanao, particularly in Compostela Valley, and helped advance the resistance of the Lumad and peasant masses against the incursions of foreign mining and logging companies. She helped carry out and develop the Party’s line and program for arousing, organizing and mobilizing the Lumad masses on the basis of their right to self-determination.

She confronted and overcame all the difficulties and sacrifices of being a Red fighter, especially the months or years of being away from her children. Despite their separation, she was able to demonstrate and express her love for her children and help raise their social and political consciousness.

Ka Lalay was a dedicated Party cadre. She became secretary of a sub-regional committee under the Southern Mindanao Regional (SMR) Party Committee, headed its education committee and was a member of its executive committee. Based on her sterling record in SMR, she was assigned in 2016 as secretary of Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee, and led efforts to overcome military conservatism.

For her exemplary performance as a Party cadre, Ka Lalay was elected as member of the Central Committee during the 2nd Congress of the Party in 2016.

On February 27, Ka Lalay was travelling on a motorcycle transport in the interior areas of Barangay Malagad, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur. She was on her way to seek medical treatment for rheumatoid arthritis which had caused her great physical pain and had impaired her movements for several months.

Along the way, military and police troops led by the 53rd Infantry Battalion (under the 102nd Infantry Brigade and 1st Infantry Division) flagged down Ka Lalay’s transport and accosted her. She was last seen by residents alighting from the motorcycle with difficulty and in pain. The next day, the military claimed she had been killed in an encounter in the area. The fascist posed her lifeless body in an “encounter site” which they staged for a media spectacle.

The Party condemns the US-Marcos regime and its Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the cold-blooded murder of Ka Lalay, which is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, which gives premium to the protection of the rights of civilians and hors de combat. Ka Lalay was in no position to fight as she was unarmed and was physically debilitated.

We remember the life of Ka Lalay as a Party cadre, Red fighter of the people’s army, as revolutionary organizer, a teacher, a cultural worker, a doctor, and adviser to the masses. At the same time, we vow to attain justice for her death in the hands of the brutal fascists.

In honor of Ka Lalay and the thousands of revolutionary heroes and martyrs who came before her, we pledge to advance the revolutionary cause no matter how long it takes and no matter the sacrifice to achieve victory for the national democratic struggle to liberate the Filipino people from imperialist and feudal bondage, and pave the way for a bright, prosperous and just future.