Suspected CPP-NPA leader's baby dies at PGH

The daughter of the late Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal gave birth to a girl over the weekend but a militant group leader said the baby died on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. posted a photo on Twitter of Diona Andrea, the baby of Andrea Rosal who was born Saturday morning.

Reyes said Diona was fighting to stay alive at the intensive care unit of the Philippine General Hospital.

Shortly after 5 p.m., Reyes posted an update on Twitter saying Diona had died.

Baby Diona, daughter of Andrea Rosal, passed away today at the PGH ICU. We got report at 5:10pm. Heartbreaking. #fb

— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) May 18, 2014

A report on alternative news site Bulatlat.com said Andrea gave birth to Diona on Saturday morning.

Rights group holds government responsible

Militant rights group Karapatan said Diona Andrea had been suffering from hypoxemia or oxygen deficiency in the blood.

"Since her birth, she was on artificial respirator and experienced seizures," it said on its website.

The group said Andrea Rosal had been imprisoned in a 5x10 meter cell with 31 others since her arrest last March.

"She did not receive any medical attention from jail authorities during her detention in Camp Bagong Diwa. Her transfer to PGH this week, in accordance to a court order issued for her immediate hospitalization, was unreasonably delayed by authorities from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology." the group said.

It added: "Andrea was experiencing uterine contractions since the evening of May 15, but she was brought back and forth from Camp Bagong Diwa and the PGH because BJMP authorities said there were no available room for her."

Karapatan said Andrea was finally admitted to the hospital on the evening of May 16 and that she finally gave birth on the morning of May 17.

Karapatan said Rosal's lawyers from the National Union of People’s Lawyers filed urgent motions for the dismissal of against her as well as for her immediate hospitalization in the first week of April.

Rosal was arrested in Caloocan City on March 27. She was already eight months pregnant at the time of the arrest.

The military said Rosal was arrested on warrants for kidnapping and murder, charges she has denied. — Joel Locsin/JDS, GMA News