A Red Salute to Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal 1947-2011
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Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo English Edition Special Issue October 9, 2011 www.philippinerevolution.net A Red salute to Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal 1947-2011 Central Committee Communist Party of the Philippines he leadership and entire membership of the TCommunist Party of the Philippines (CPP), all Red fighters and commanders of the New People's Army (NPA) and all revolutionary forces salute Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal. Ka Roger passed away on June 22, 2011 at the age of 64 after suf- fering a heart attack in a guerrilla front in Luzon. For more than a decade as the Party's spokes- person, and prior to this, as spokesperson of the New People's Army in Southern Tagalog (Melito Glor Command), Ka Roger was the face and voice of the revolutionary movement of the Filipino people. He symbolized the struggle of ordinary He worked folk—the peasant masses, workers, the urban hard even as poor, employees and small professionals—who a child in or- had lofty aspirations of liberation from the ruling der to help his system that oppressed and exploited them. family. From grade As the spokesperson of the Communist Party school to his second of the Philippines, he was the bearer of good year in high school, news about the revolution. His voice fired up the he was for eight years a courage of both Red fighters and the struggling servant at their landlord's masses. The oppressed and the downtrodden household. He became an avid radio listener and thirsting for justice saw him as the conduit for read comic books as a pastime. Poverty forced airing their grievances. him to stop his schooling for several years. To Like the majority of Filipinos, Ka Roger grew continue his formal education, he peddled mos- up oppressed and impoverished in the country- quito nets and other goods that he bought on side. He was born on April 19, 1947 in Barangay credit from loan sharks. He traveled far and wide Talaibon, Ibaan, Batangas. “Goring” was the third to different provinces. Wherever he went, it was of six brothers and sisters: Nicetas, Bernardo, the same face of poverty and oppression that he Felecidad, Emilia and Remedios, now deceased. saw. Their father Pablo Rosal and their mother Crispi- He was able to enter college at the Golden na Crusat were both tenants serving a small land- Gate Colleges in Batangas City in 1971 only at lord whose fields were mainly planted to sugar- the age of 24. It was a time of ferment for the cane. His father boiled and stirred sugarcane youth and students in Manila and other cities. juice to make muscovado while his mother tend- As he went around selling his wares, Ka Roger ed to the fire. His family belonged to the middle occasionally encountered rallies and listened to stratum of the middle peasantry and supported the speakers. He began joining street protests calls for revolutionary change. and seriously studied history and current social At a young age, Ka Roger was witness to pov- conditions. Ka Roger became a member of the Ka- erty under an oppressive and exploitative system. bataang Gabay ng Bayan, a Batangueño activist group. He later joined the Ka- son, Ka Roger and his other and the Bondoc Peninsula bataang Makabayan. Through comrades took the path of played crucial roles in expand- his study of society and integra- armed revolution in the coun- ing and consolidating the revo- tion with the masses, he was tryside. He became part of the lution in other parts of the Bicol able to deepen his grasp of the guerrilla front established in the region and Southern Tagalog. roots of the poverty and oppres- Laguna-Quezon border along the Mass struggle and mass actions sion suffered by the people. Sierra Madre mountains—the launched in these areas played Gradually, he steeled his deter- so-called Larangan ng Ka- major roles in invigorating pro- mination to become part gitingan or Front of Her- test actions nationwide at the of the historic move- oism. Under start of the 1980s. In 1985, Ka ment that would Ka Lorena Roger was appointed as the change the face of Barros' leader- fourth member of the Southern society and open a ship, Ka Roger and Tagalog Party Committee, elect- new chapter in the other comrades ed member of the Regional Ex- people's lives. were sent to Mind- ecutive Committee and the Re- When martial law was oro in 1974 to un- gional Secretariat a year later. imposed in 1972, Ka dertake social inves- It was also at this time that Roger decided to tigation and Ka Roger met Ka Soly (Rosema- continue his revolu- prepare the rie Dumanais) who would later tionary involvement. He became island for revolutionary expan- become his wife. Ka Soly was part of a team that was tasked sion. then a young Red fighter. They to organize workers at the Bat- By 1975-76, Ka Roger be- had two daughters who they angas Sugar Central in Balayan, came part of the first organizing loved dearly and whose care Batangas. In July 1973, he was team in the Quezon-Bicol Zone they entrusted to their relatives captured by the enemy and de- that led the advance of people's and friends. Even if their daugh- tained at a military camp in Ku- war in Camarines Norte. He ters largely grew up away from omintang, Batangas City. He eventually led the guerrilla front them, Ka Roger and Ka Soly con- was later transferred to Camp committee established in the sistently saw to their welfare Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Ca- area. and security. lamba, Laguna. Determined to In succeeding years, Ka Ro- In 1989, AFP Southern Luzon continue working for the revolu- ger became part of the history Command chief Gen. Alejandro tion, he bolted prison along of revolutionary expansion and Galido ordered fascist agents to with nine other leading Party advance in the whole of South- abduct Ka Roger and Ka Soly's cadres in the region in Novem- ern Luzon, especially in the elder daughter Andrea from her ber 1973 in what became known Southern Tagalog region. In grandmother's house in Ragay, as “The Great Escape”. 1980-81, the CPP Southern Lu- Camarines Sur. The AFP had After their escape from pri- zon Commission issued a deci- wanted to pressure Ka Roger to sion forming the Southern Taga- surrender. Instead of succumb- log Regional Committee encom- ing to such pressure, Ka Roger ANG passing the provinces of Lagu- bravely exposed this heinous na, Batangas, Cavite and Rizal. crime to the media. The military Ka Roger was appointed to the was forced to release Andrea in Special Issue October 9, 2011 regional committee as deputy the face of the ensuing public Ang Bayan is published in Pilipino, secretary for education. When outcry. Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray at the South Quezon guerrilla front Ka Roger was witness to the English editions. It is available for downloading at was later placed under the juris- major strides taken by the revo- the Philippine Revolution Web Central diction of the Southern Tagalog lutionary movement in Southern located at: Regional Committee, Ka Roger Tagalog. Nonetheless, he also www.philippinerevolution.org. Ang Bayan welcomes contributions played a major role in expansion witnessed one of the darkest ep- in the form of articles and news. work in South Quezon and the isodes in its history. In 1988, Readers are likewise enjoined to send Bondoc Peninsula. After a few the region launched “Operation in their comments and suggestions for the betterment of our publication. You years, he became secretary of Missing Link,” an anti-deep can reach us by email at: the Laguna-North Quezon-East- penetration agent campaign [email protected] ern Rizal guerrilla front. that led to violations of demo- Under his leadership, armed cratic rights. Although he had Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the struggle and mass struggles ad- no direct role in the detention, Central Committee of the Communist Party vanced in these areas. The Que- torture and killing of a number of the Philippines zon-Bicol Zone, South Quezon of the victims, Ka Roger was 2 ANG BAYAN October 9, 2011 among those criticized and met- gades who resisted the rectifica- listened to them convey their ed disciplinary action because tion movement and maligned problems and grievances. Ka of his accountability as one of the Party. Roger gained their respect, if the region's leading cadres and Ka Roger was appointed to not their admiration. The ability his failure to take a stand the National Propaganda Com- and patience, the sharpness and against the hysteria. He criti- mission in 2001 and served as intelligence, the patriotism and cized himself for this with all its deputy secretary. Besides love of country demonstrated by humility. serving as the CPP’s spokesper- Ka Roger further raised the pres- When he was later assigned son, he also helped oversee the tige of the Party and the revolu- to Laguna where OPML was regular publication of Ang tionary movement. mainly conducted, he constantly Bayan, as well as work in the As the CPP's spokesperson, reminded the Red fighters to Philippine Revolution Web Cen- Ka Roger was indefatigable in humbly apologize to the rela- tral and Sine Proletaryo, the bringing news of the Philippine tives of the victims. The wounds CPP’s video outfit. revolution. He would hike eventually healed and revolu- For more than a decade, for days, cross rivers tionary mass struggles advanced he served as Party spokes- and seas and go on in the guerrilla front.