Following the passing of Rosa Rosal at 97, a long-unpublished biography of the actress and humanitarian has resurfaced, shedding light on her life beyond the screen.

Writer and Palanca awardee Jose Dalisay Jr. revealed in an online post that he completed the manuscript 15 years ago, commissioned by the Philippine Red Cross, but it never reached publication. Rosal had planned to review the book before printing, but the project stalled and contact was eventually lost.

In the unpublished biography, Dalisay recalls how Rosal’s role in the 1956 film Anak Dalita seemed to foreshadow her lifelong dedication to helping others. Her character comforts a dying woman amid the ruins of postwar Manila—a scene that mirrored Rosal’s decades of humanitarian work.

“Her beauty and glamour were genuine,” Dalisay writes, “but just as real, offscreen, was the compassion that animated her in a long life of service.”

Beyond acting, Rosal devoted herself to the Philippine Red Cross, leading blood donation drives, disaster relief, and community outreach programs. Her work earned her national recognition and inspired generations of Filipinos.

Dalisay has recovered the manuscript and plans to publish excerpts in his Penman column next month. He hopes the Red Cross and Rosal’s family will consider bringing the biography to print, giving the public a fuller picture of the woman behind the celebrity.

A cover study for the book, chosen by Rosal herself, remains a visual reminder of the project that never came to fruition—a biography capturing both her star power and her humanitarian legacy.