FACT CHECK | Claim that article is proof that Cory played mahjong with nuns is false

August 3, 2022 , 02:51 PM

(August 3, 2022) – After drawing flak online, a Facebook page defended a viral scene from a film by insisting that nuns indeed played mahjong with the late former President Cory Aquino, citing a portion of an article.

The claim is false.

CLAIM:

In a post on Tuesday, “VinCentiments,” which is linked to director Darryl Yap, shared the first two pages of an essay titled “In The Grotto of the Pink Sisters” written by Anne Nelson. It was taken from the January 1988 issue of Mother Jones Magazine.

“VinCentiments” highlighted the terms “Pink Sisters” and “mah-jjong” to emphasize the point that a scene in the movie “Maid in Malacañang” where Aquino played mahjong with nuns has a factual basis.

“WALANG MADRENG NAGMAMAHJONG? MAID IN MALACAÑANG. MADE IN KATOTOHANAN,” wrote the caption of the post. “Narito po ang bunga ng research ng Team Darryl Yap. In this 1988 Magazine (from Page 19), mababanggit po ang pangalan ng pinakamalapit na Madre kay President Cory, her name was SISTER CHRISTINE TAN, mababanggit din po dito na siya ay nagmamahjongg.”

In the essay, “Pink Sisters” referred to the nuns in the Grotto of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration where Aquino frequently went to meditate and pray. It narrated how Aquino eventually became close to Sister Christine Tan.

“She (Tan) had worked for years in the worst slums in Manila, and made something of a vocation out of revealing their horrors to women from her own comfortable background,” read the essay. “Her tranquil voice would take on a slightly chiding tone as she’d try to convince the perfumed ladies, taking the afternoon off from the mah-jjong circuit, that the breeding grounds for such misery in their country ultimately could threaten their own well-being, too.”

“Maid in Malacañang” claims to show the point of view of the family of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in their last 72 hours in Malacañang. Sen. Imee Marcos was the creative producer.

RATING: False

FACT:

The essay did not say that it was Aquino and the nuns who were playing mahjong. Yap and his team had a wrong comprehension of the text. They merely conveniently connected the terms “Pink Sisters” and “mah-jongg” and assumed that the author was referring to the nuns.

As mentioned in the essay, the “perfumed ladies” were the women who also came from Tan’s “comfortable background.” As also stated, she came from a “well-to-do background.”

According to the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC), Tan “came from a family of means” in Manila before choosing to become a nun in the 1970s.

“Poverty, as practised in the convent, was not enough for her, so she chose to live among the poor. In the late 1970s, together with several Good Shepherd nuns, she opted to live and work among the poor of Malate and stayed with them for more than 26 years,” read a post on the HRVVMC.

In a statement, the Carmelite Sisters recognized that the nuns in the scene were not wearing their brown religious habit. But Sister Mary Melanie Costillas, the prioress of the monastery, said the allusion was “too obvious for anyone not to see.” She added that no one from the production team consulted them.

“The attempt to distort history is reprehensible,” said Costillas. “Depicting the nuns as playing mah-jong with Cory Aquino is malicious. It would suggest that while the fate of the country was in peril, we could afford to leisurely play games.”

Costillas explained that the nuns were “praying, fasting, and making other forms of sacrifices” during that period, contrary to how they were portrayed in the film. She further noted that the scene appears to “trivialize” their contribution in bringing back democracy after the heavy-handed rule of Marcos.

READ: MAID IN MALACANANG | Carmelite nuns slam ‘malicious’ information on Cory Aquino’s portrayal in the film about EDSA uprising

While Yap can justify the scene as “artistic freedom” or “creative interpretation,” “VinCentiments,” in another post, presented it as “truth” despite not having any irrefutable proof.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Historians have criticized the movie for weeks because of its inaccuracies. While directors have creative leeway, experts pointed out that this should not be used as an excuse to distort history.

Xiao Chua, a reputable historian, has repeatedly said history should never be diluted as gossip after the controversial remark made by actress Ella Cruz who played the role of Irene Marcos in the film.

Meanwhile, renowned director and playwright Floy Quintos slammed actress Giselle Sanchez who justified why she decided to play the role of Aquino in the movie.

“It is not the work of artists, but of provocateurs who simply want to gain likes, views, instant fame, and notoriety. Art has nothing to do with it at all,” said Quintos. “Please just stop using the term, and the argument that your movie is art since it disturbs and agitates. Your movie stops there.”

So far, the post of “VinCentiments” has earned 5,600 reactions, 747 comments—many of them believing the false explanation—and 1,000 shares.

News5 is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail info@factsfirst.ph. Message News 5’s Facebook page if you want to have any claims fact-checked. Read our fact-checking policy here.

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