SOUTHERN Luzon commanding general, Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali, called on the communist leadership to disclose where they buried the remains of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesman, Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, so it can be given proper rites.

“I assure all those wishing to pay their last respect to Mr. Rosal that the military will not harass nor trouble them in the event his body was recovered and proper rites be given to him,” Detabali told People’s Tonight.

The CPP on Sunday finally acknowledged the passing of Rosal after he allegedly suffered another heart attack inside an undisclosed “guerrilla zone” last June 22. He was 64 years old.

Rosal first suffered a major heart attack in 1999 but gained a quick recovery. However, he has been in constant medication since then.

A native of Ibaan, Batangas, Rosal has been based in Southern Tagalog since the time of his designation as CPP spokesman and head of the CPP Information Bureau in the early ‘90s that also saw his elevation as member of the party’s elite central committee.

A long line of military officers, Detabali included, have been trying to capture the highly popular rebel spokesman for more than 20 years now.

Prior to Rosal’s death, Detabali had also called on the guerrillas to disclose where they buried the remains of his wife, Rosemary “Ka Insa” Domanais.

Domanais, CPP provincial secretary for Laguna, was killed last February 7 after a clash with members of the Special Forces Battalion in Mauban, Quezon.

It was only last May, three months after her death, did the rebels finally confirm her death.

“With Mr. Rosal’s death and that of his wife, I am appealing on the remaining rebels to ‘rethink’ the future of their armed struggle; obviously, it is a path leading them to nowhere.

“It is time to give peace a chance,” Detabali said, particularly addressing the two daughters of Rosal, “Andrea” and “Mafi.”

Military sources confirmed the two are now active members of the CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), based in Southern Tagalog.

“The door to reconciliation is always open for them and their comrades. Rest assured that their rights would be fully respected and the government would help them start a new life,” Detabali told the orphans.

While the CPP-NPA continues to remain silent on the final resting place of the Rosals, the same sources told People’s Tonight they received information that Domanais was buried in a hastily-dug grave in Cavinti, Laguna.

On the other hand, Rosal’s body was said to have been brought to Batangas where it was buried at the basement of an old house. “Malapit lang daw sa bahay niya sa Ibaan,” the sources said.