Sister Christine Tan

Dear Mouse, It is already a more than a month when she died and I did not know. She is Sister Christine Tan, the local version of Mother Teresa. Well not so many people knew that she was a sister of Bienvenido Tan, the former Ambassador; that she belonged to a well-to-do-family and was one time a member of the board of the PCSO until she was removed by the then President Estrada due to her criticism for the First Family's use of the funds intended for the indigent families. While other people would expect a head of a religious congregation to be serving God in a cloistered , spic and span convent, Sister Christine, practised her ministry in the depressed area in Leveriza, Malate. "It was with the poor that I felt comfortable. In the dirt and foul language, with drunken men, in shattering noise where no one seemed to sleep, it was here that God was at ease. It was here that I found Jesus." Known for her militancy and vigilance, she opposed the totalitarian rule of the dictator in the 1970's. She became a member of the Constitutional Commision in 1998. She fought for the human rights not only of women but also of men and children. Despite her achievements in human services, she still considered herself as nothing but a simple person with simple joys for herself that includes watching good movies and playing with her ward, the poor children. A very meaningful quotation reflects her attitude in life. "They say that we are all drops of water in an ocean, totally lost in its expanse and depths. But some drops sparkle". the CAT