The remains of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison will be cremated in the Netherlands on December 27, according to the CPP's legal wing, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
However, there has been no discussions yet on bringing Sison's ashes to the Philippines as his family needs more private time, said CPP chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena in a statement on Sunday.
He added that the matter can be tackled later on.
CPP said that Sison "wished" for his remains to be brought back to the country, giving broad masses of workers and peasants the opportunity to pay their last respects to the revolutionary leader.
On the advisory shared by NDFP, there is an ongoing vigil at Barbara Uitvaartverzorging, a funeral home in Utrecht, until December 22 which will be closed to the public from December 24 to 26.
There will be a "day of tribute" to Sison from representatives of political parties and organizations that will be announcing further details at a later time.
Meanwhile, the CPP also declared a 10-day period of mourning for Sison in the Philippines.
The members of its armed wing, the New People's Army, are ordered “to stand in formation at the break of dawn of Dec. 26 and silently perform a 21-gun salute by way of giving the highest tribute and bidding farewell to our beloved leader.”
