17 Facts About Gregorio Rosal

Gregorio Rosal known by his nom-de-guerre Ka Roger, was the leader of the Melito Glor Command of the New People's Army in the Southern Tagalog region of the Philippines, and spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines from 1994 until 2006.

Roger Rosal was the third of six children born to Pablo Rosal and Crispina Crusat, both of whom were sugar plantation workers.

Gregorio Rosal was an honors student in Ibaan Elementary School and St James Academy in high school, and did odd jobs, sold mosquito nets and worked as a jueteng collector for his livelihood.

Gregorio Rosal began attending college at Golden Gate Colleges in Batangas City in 1971 at the age of 24 but dropped out in his second year and had become a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines before Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972.

Gregorio Rosal was a trade union organizer and student activist, being a member of Kabataang Makabayan.

Gregorio Rosal was assigned the task of establishing NPA forces in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol provinces during the 1970s and the 1980s.

Gregorio Rosal became the Communist Party of the Philippines' national spokesperson in 1994, bringing the CPP's statements into Filipino households via television and radio interviews.

Gregorio Rosal welcomed visiting journalists into the NPA's encampments, often arranging these himself.

Gregorio Rosal was implicated by former CPP Central Committee chairman Rodolfo Salas as one of the leaders of a deadly purge of suspected spies within the rebel movement in Southern Tagalog in 1988 called "Operation Missing Link".

Gregorio Rosal had suffered strokes at least three times; the first was in 1997, the second in 2000 and the last in 2006.

Gregorio Rosal recovered from the first two episodes and returned to his duties in the communist movement.

Gregorio Rosal died on 22 June 2011 in an undisclosed location in Luzon from the effects of a heart attack.

Gregorio Rosal's cremated remains and that of his wife were re-buried in Ibaan, his hometown in Batangas in 2016, five years after his death.

Rosario Lodronio was a member of the communist revolutionary movement who died in a firefight in 2011; the NPA's Rosario Lodronio Gregorio Rosal Command operating in Infanta, Quezon is named in her honor.

Gregorio Rosal was said to have liked playing softball and that he was religious.

Gregorio Rosal enjoyed playing musical instruments such as the guitar and harmonica, and singing as well.

Gregorio Rosal once referred to himself as "the singing terrorist".