Mary Christine Tan

Tan died on October 6, 2003 (although it was disputed to be October 7) at the age of 72. Her autobiography, which was centered on her story with the RGS congregation and the journey from Eastern Spirituality to Social Justice, was released to the public by her brother Bienvenido Jr. four days after her passing.

When Tan was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2000, her sickness didn't inhibit her from doing what she loved. In her own words, she said:

Following the aftermath of the People Power Revolution in 1986, Sister Christine was named a member of the 1987 Constitutional Convention by President Corazon Aquino. The rationale behind her appointment was to continue her work in giving the poor a chance to participate in making the new Philippine Constitution. In the 1990s, she also became a famous critic of presidential administrations starting from Aquino up to Estrada. Another prominent event that put her into the spotlight was when she became a member of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's Board of Directors in 1998. In her tenure, she raised awareness of the uneven allocation of the fund disbursements in the agency.

Her charisma was such that some nuns who served under her become heroes on their own right. Perhaps most famous were the four nuns who died in the sinking of the MV Cassandra which was headed to Mindanao on November 21, 1983. The survivors recounted that these nuns chose not to be saved and instead helped them to safety. In 1984, together with five of her RGS sisters, Tan founded the Alay Kapwa Christian Community. Their mission was to provide a growth in the livelihood and spirituality of their chosen indigent communities. Up to now, Alay Kapwa has extended its reach to the provinces of Cavite, Quezon, and even Cebu. Rodrigo notes that Alay Kapwa provided the urban poor community with spiritual enrichment programs, feeding programs, day care systems, and educational scholarships. It also managed to create livelihood programs where items like crocheted clothing and soap can be made using simple items.

When she was interviewed by the New York Times in 1981, she recounted her experiences. The RGS were known to be a radical congregation in the 1960s. They were often considered as rebels, but she would term it as a group bolder than them. On the outset of Martial Law, her house was raided due to a warrant of arrest against her. Given that, she was the superior of the RGS (at that time, that congregation had 9,000 nuns worldwide), she and with six other nuns would often be at odds with the authorities. From then on, they vowed to live a life in poverty, without accepting luxuries, not even as simple as an electric fan. The broadsheet managed to get the responses of two of the six nuns who jonied Tan in her mission, Sisters Vincent Borromeo and Evelyn Coronel. Each of them said that it was through their ways they realized how important it is to help the oppressed. Through the teachings of the Vatican II, they were given a challenge as to how they could practice their profession in a society experiencing a huge socio-political turmoil. Sr. Tan's most prominent answer was when she said that Filipino women have become more progressive over history in their views of life.

Amanda Tan, RGS (November 30, 1930 – October 6, 2003), commonly known as Christine was a Filipino missionary, nun, and activist, who was known to be one of the key figures who was against the human rights abuses during the Martial law era. She headed the Association of Major Religious Superiors of Women (AMRSP) from 1973–1976, a group of religious sisters who not only vocalized their disdain against the Martial Law dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, but also managed to help Filipinos who are suffering from poverty. She, along with eight other religious sisters are known as the Bantayog sisters - honored for living a life resisting against the regime of Ferdinand Marcos by having their names were immortalized on the Wall of Remembrance.

Mary Christine Tan was born as Amanda on November 30, 1930 to an upper-class Chinese Filipino family in Manila. Her parents were Bienvenido Tan, Sr., a judge, and Salome Limgenco, a housewife. She is the fifth amongst her seven siblings, for whom they are: Consuelo, Bienvenido Jr. (who became a member of the Agrava Commission and later the Ambassador of the Philippines to Germany), Teresita, Caridad, Leticia, and Angeles. Tan spent her primary, secondary and tertiary education in St. Scholastica's College in Manila. She graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, before joining the Religious of the Good Shepherd (RGS), and was given the name by which she is most recognized today.