70-year-old alleged CPP official comes out to clear name

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A 70-year-old woman alleged to be a leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines presented herself to authorities to clear her name.

Annie Tauli, allegedly the chairperson of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Party Committee of the CPP, went to authorities in Besao, Mountain Province and was later flown to Baguio City. 

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Tauli's classmate at the Philippine Science High School, said he personally knew her as a decent person. Esperon has been in Baguio since Wednesday. 

Tauli came forward to clear her name through the joint efforts of the military and  police facilitated by Brig. Gen. Henry Duyaen of the Army's 503rd Infantry Brigade and Police Brig. Gen. R'win Pagkalinawan, regional police director, as well as retired Army Gen. Ramon Yog-Yog.

Tauli flew to Baguio City with Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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Esperon said Tauli will stay at the PNP Chief's cottage at the Navy Base compound. Pagkalinawan said there is no case filed against her.

Tauli told journalists she decided to talk to Esperon after being stranded at their ancestral home in Besao since the quarantine began.

Tauli's alleged "party husband" Julius Giron, allegedly a high-ranking CPP official, was killed with Dr. Lourdes Tan Torres—or Ma. Lourdes Dineros Tangco alias Tita— also an alleged high-ranking CPP official, and a security aide at a hideout along Hamada Subdivision in March.

Baguio-based human rights group Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA)-Karapatan claimed however that Tauli was "picked up" by authorities.

As a senior citizen, (Tauli) "has long since retired and gone home to Besao, where she is the president of the Batil-ang Peypeyen Clan," said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

Tauli was a teacher at Brent School up to 1980 and became the coordinator of the Cordillera Studies Program of the Cordillera Schools Group based in Easter School up to 1984. 

She was among more than 300 participants in the Cordillera People's Congress that founded the left-leaning Cordillera People's Alliance in 1984.

"Besao villagers will attest that she has been very involved in local activities such as the cooperative, Parents-Teachers Association and the like," said Palabay.   

Most recently, Tauli implemented a project documenting the indigenous system of pine forest management in Besao, she added.