No truce seen as rebs declare day of mourning for ‘Ka Roger’

LUCENA CITY—The military won’t cease offensives against communist guerrillas on the day the guerrillas planned to pay tribute to Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, a guerrilla spokesperson who had been the face of the revolution until his death by heart attack four months ago.

Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali, head of the Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), said no order has been issued for the military to enforce a truce on Oct. 15, which the New People’s Army, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), declared as a day of mourning for Rosal.

He said the military needed to continue its offensives “to protect the local population from harassment, extortion and terrorism.”

The CPP announced that all guerrilla units would fall in formation at noon of Oct. 15 to pay tribute to Rosal. “At exactly noon, they will carry out a gun salute in his memory,” the CPP said in a statement on Monday.

On Sunday, amid years of speculations on Rosal’s health, the CPP admitted he died on June 22 after a heart attack inside a guerrilla zone.

Col. Eduardo Año, head of the Army’s 201st Infantry Brigade, said the military has yet to receive orders on whether or not to observe a truce on Oct. 15.

He said NPA rebels are free to fire their guns to honor Rosal “as long as they will not do it in a public place or in a populated area.” Año said government forces expect small gatherings of communist guerrillas in Quezon on Oct. 15.

Armine de Guia, spokesperson of the NPA’s Apolonio Mendoza Command operating in Quezon, refuted claims of the military that rebels would be wracked by demoralization and mass surrender by Rosal’s death.

“Any death befalling anyone among us will contribute immensely to our indomitable spirit,” he said in a text message.