The Party for Socialism and Liberation salutes the memory and revolutionary legacy of our friend and ally in the struggle for justice, Filipino activist Joe Navidad, who died on April 22 at the age of 68 in Los Angeles. We are greatly saddened by this loss of a great revolutionary fighter.
Born in Davao, Philippines, as a young activist, Joe Navidad was an organizer for the National Democratic Movement in the Philippines during the period of martial law under the dictatorship of the brutal U.S. puppet Ferdinand Marcos.
Organizing in the countryside, fighting for land reform, Joe was arrested and jailed for two years by the Marcos government.
He came to Los Angeles in the early 1990s and joined others in the Filipino community to organize support and solidarity for the ongoing struggle of the Filipino people, remaining active throughout his life as a community organizer and anti-imperialist fighter for justice and international solidarity.
As a leader and activist of many community and anti-imperialist organizations such as People’s Core, PESANTE-USA, J-FAV and the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines, he was also a member of the ANSWER Coalition, founded in September of 2001.
Joe Navidad was a true fighter for justice and liberation all his life. He helped train and develop an entire new generation of fighters for the working class everywhere.
Whenever he spoke, his soft spoken but powerful words were heard by all. Every speech he gave ended with these words, “Long Live International Solidarity!”
Joe is greatly missed and will be remembered by all those he touched. His legacy will live on.
Long live the memory of Joe Navidad!
Victory to the workers and peasants of the Philippines!
Long live international solidarity!
