FALSE: Sister Mary John Mananzan quote on serving Joma Sison

Claim:

Sister Mary John Mananzan, Vice President for External Affairs of St. Scholastica’s College Manila, said she is a nun who serves Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison.

Facebook page Lamrag Sinirangan posted a graphic with Mananzan’s photo, attributing to her the following quote: “I am a Nun serving Lord Joma Sison. Only a fool will believe that I am innocent; sensible people know that I am part of the CPP-NPA-NDF (New People’s Army-National Democratic Front).”

The graphic also contained the text: “Si Sister Mananzan ay Chairman Emeritus ng Gabriela Women’s Party, na isang prenteng organisasyon ng teroristang CPP-NPA-NDF.” (Sister Mananzan is Chairman Emeritus of the Gabriela Women’s Party, which is a front organization of the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF.)

The post had the caption: “BABALA!!! Mapagkunwaring madre. Akala mo Diyos ang pinagsisilbihan. Si Teroristang JOMA SISON pala.” (WARNING! Pretending to be a nun. You would think she serves the Lord, but in truth she serves the terrorist Joma Sison.)

This claim was spotted by Rappler’s Fact Check team on social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle.

Rating: FALSE

The facts:

Mananzan did not say this quote.

In an email to Rappler, Mananzan denied saying this. Moreover, Rappler did not find any reports, video or audio recordings, interview transcripts, or statements that contain the supposed quote.

Rappler also reached out to Lamrag Sinirangan to ask for proof that Mananzan said this quote, but received no response as of writing.

This is not the first time Mananzan was red-tagged. Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy earlier accused her of being “given a place of honor in a communist terrorist organization.” Gabriela and the Movement Against Tyranny spoke out then against Badoy.

In the past, Rappler fact-checked another false quote attributed to Mananzan, wherein she supposedly called for the ouster of President Rodrigo Duterte and his replacement with Vice President Leni Robredo. – Loreben Tuquero/Rappler.com

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