IMUS CITY, Cavite – A 23-year-old graffiti artist was arrested for painting his initials on the fence of a real estate company in Barangay Buhay na Tubig here on Thursday, May 5.
According to Imus City Police Station's report, the company's guard caught suspect Rafael Gray Cruz on the act as he was vandalizing the barrier using a spray paint.
Investigator-on-case Sgt. Roy Vincent Reyes told the Manila Bulletin that the suspect, who also designs graffiti shirts, said what he did was purely for self-expression.
"'Dun lang daw inilalabas 'yung emosyon, siyempre artist. Pero siyempre, may mga may-ari niyan. Hindi naman pwede na dahil kagustuhan lang natin, kahit nakaka-perwisyo tayo (He said it was his way to express his emotions as an artist. But somebody owns that property. We can't just do anything we want and become a nuisance to others)," Reyes said.
The cost of the defaced galvanized iron fence amounted to P12,000.
Cruz was taken into police custody and is facing malicious mischief charges.