Communist spokesman Ka Roger Rosal is dead — CPP

(Updated 5:31 p.m.) Gregorio “Ka Roger" Rosal, the spokesperson for the Communist Party of the Philippines, has passed away. Rosal, 64, succumbed to heart attack last June 22, according to a statement from the CPP on Sunday. “The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) wishes to inform its entire membership, all revolutionary forces and the public in general that CPP spokesperson Gregorio ‘Ka Roger’ Rosal passed away in a guerrilla zone on June 22 after suffering a heart attack. He was 64," the CPP statement read. The group said the public announcement of Rosal’s death was delayed “to allow the concerned organs of the CPP to inform Ka Roger's daughters of their father's demise." “Intense military operations prevented information from reaching his daughters with dispatch. Ka Roger's siblings have also been informed of his passing," the CPP added. During his heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, Rosal, a veteran in the communist movement, spearheaded numerous attacks on government targets in the Southern Tagalog region. However, he went out of circulation several years ago following unconfirmed reports that he suffered a stroke.
Inspiration In paying tribute to its fallen comrade, the CPP said Rosal’s life “will serve as an inspiration to the people to carry forward their revolutionary struggles." The CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army, which recently hogged the headlines for attacking three mining sites in Surigao del Norte, is set to honor Rosal at noon on October 15 with a gun salute. “All units of the CPP and revolutionary mass organizations are enjoined to launch tribute meetings to remember Ka Roger and his contributions to the historic revolutionary struggles of the Filipino people," it said. Rosal was born on April 19, 1947 in Barangay Talaibon, Ibaan, Batangas. He was the third of six brothers and sisters, namely Nicetas, Bernardo, Felecidad, Emilia and Remedios, now deceased. His parents, Pablo Rosal and Crispina Crusa, were both sugarcane farmers. As early as last year, the military had suspected that Rosal had already died of a lingering illness, citing his inactivity. But in a New Year's message last Jan. 1, Rosal issued a statement urging "revolutionaries" to "achieve more victories in all fields of struggle." AFP condoles The Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, condoled with the family and relatives of Rosal, saying it is hoping that his death will “provide opportunities for enlightenment to some of our misguided brothers and sisters who continue to resort to armed struggle as a means to achieve their interests." In a statement, Armed Forces public affairs office chief Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos noted that the military had once offered medical treatment to Rosal provided that he returns to government fold. “It can be recalled that when the information about the lingering illness of Mr. Rosal reached the AFP, the leadership of the AFP thru Commander, Southern Luzon Command, LTGEN Detabali immediately offered medical treatment upon his return to govt fold," Burgos said. — KBK, GMA News