CPP clears Ka Roger of bloody 1988 purge

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has cleared its spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal of any responsibility in the bloody purge of suspected government spies in the rebel movement launched in Southern Tagalog in 1988.

In a three-page statement posted on the Internet, the CPP said that although Rosal was the leading committee party leader in Southern Tagalog at that time, "he had no major responsibility in the bloody purge."

Nonetheless, the CPP stated Rosal was involved in some "minor decisions" regarding the purge code-named "Operation Missing Link" and accepted "with humility his responsibility to make rectifications."

The CPP said Rosal was not a member of the group that implemented the purge, which they admitted led to the arrest, detention, torture of some 55 party cadres and New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas, some of them executed on suspicion that they were government agents.

They maintained Rosal had no direct participation in the execution and torture of the victims.

The CPP said Missing Link took place after another bloody purge, called Kampanyang Ahos (Garlic Campaign) was implemented in Mindanao.

Former NPA rebel Manuel Quiambao and erstwhile CPP central committee chairman Rodolfo "Kumander Bilog" Salas tagged Rosal as one of the insurgent leaders who initiated Missing Link.